The Chosen One's Journey
by dragonwolf12
Summary: A year before Ash left on his Pokemon journey, he received a Mysterious package. Inside of it was a book and a simple note that was signed 'A friend.' This book turns out to be the best thing that could have happened to Ash, leading to a more mature and intelligent Ash. Read how Ash travels around the regions with a more progressive look on Pokemon training. I Don't Own Pokemon!
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first ever Story please don't be too harsh on me.**

* * *

Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…CRASH!

Ash Ketchum never was a morning person, and today was no exception. Looking at the smoking remains of his alarm clock, Ash grumbled under his breath about whoever turned on the alarm clock was going to pay.

Over the past year, Ash had woken himself up before dawn without help every single day. He needed to do this in order to have the quiet he desired in order to meditate. In fact he had already been up for an hour and was just putting on some work out cloths so that he could go for a morning jog.

Suddenly, Ash remembered what day today was and a smile broke out across his face. Today was the day he would be getting his Trainer's license and his first Pokémon.

Glancing at his windowsill, he let out a soft sigh. Sitting on it was a pair of Pokémon eggs that he had hoped would become his first, but sadly they hadn't hatched yet.

Putting on a set of shorts and a t-shirt, he left the house and began running through town. As he ran, he began thinking about the past year and how it had changed him from the immature and easily distracted boy he had been into the calm and focused young man he was today.

-Flashback; One-year ago-

"_Ash, could you come down here please?" Delia Ketchum shouted up to her son. A minute later, Ash came walking down._

"_What's up mom?" he asked_

"_Somebody has sent you a package," she said, showing him a box that the postman had just delivered._

"_Really? I wonder whom it's from," he said as he opened the box._

_Inside of the box was a very old looking book. Sitting on top of the book was a simple post-it note with a message written on it:_

_Use this book to become the best, like no one ever was._

_-A Friend_

"_That's strange," Delia said, "I wonder who would send you this."_

"_I don't know, maybe it was Professor Oak," Ash suggested._

"_Maybe," Delia said slowly, "We'll have to ask him next time we see them. For now, why don't you go clear off some of the action figure from your bookcase so there will be room for this."_

-End Flashback-

It turned out that it hadn't been Professor Oak who had sent it, but he was just as curious as they were.

Ash smiled as he ran; from that moment on, he had been engrossed by all of the knowledge that one book held. He had learned quite a bit in the past twelve months, but the real surprise had been more recent.

-Flashback; One-month ago-

_Ash was sitting in his room, thinking about his Pokémon journey when suddenly, a voice rang out from downstairs, "Ash, there's another package for you."_

_Ash's eye's nearly bugged out, without stopping to think, he bolted downstairs to see another large box, identical to the first box. Ash ripped it open and gasped at what he saw inside._

"_What is it honey?" Delia asked in concern. _

_Wordlessly, Ash reached into the box and pulled out a Pokémon egg. It was blue in color with a black stripe near the top of it. He then pulled out a second; this one was very light blue with two white marks on either side of it._

"_Oh my," Delia said in surprise._

_After a moment, Ash came back to himself and remembered the proper way to raise an egg and placed them on the windowsill so that they would receive enough sunlight. He then returned to the box to find another note._

_You are nearly ready to follow the path to your destiny, use these to take the first step._

_-A Friend_

"_I wonder what this is supposed to mean," Ash said._

-End Flashback-

Ash had now finished his morning run and was back in his room. He went to the bookshelf and pulled out an ancient looking book from the shelf. He brought it over to a corner of the room and sat down cross-legged with the book in front of him. Opening it to the first page, he ran his fingers along the paper and smiled as words, only visible to him, began to write themselves across the page.

_Greetings young Aura Guardian, I am Sir Aaron. If you are reading this book then you are one of the lucky few that can harness their aura and use it to its fullest potential. In order to keep the workings of Aura Guardian's a secret, the words in this book are visible only to you. I have written this book so that in the event of my passing, the teachings of aura may continue. _

_- Farewell and good luck._

Ash smiled as he remembered discovering this once he had brought the book and Pokémon eggs to his room. He had spent the previous year, practicing with his aura abilities. However, there were some teachings that could only be performed with the help of Pokémon. Speaking of Pokémon, He looked at the clock, 7:30 a.m. The professor wanted all the new trainers to be at the lab no later then 10:00 a.m.

Since, he had packed everything last night, there wasn't much he could do but get dressed in his new travel outfit. It consisted of a black t-shirt, blue jeans, with a blue and white jacket with gold trim, and his signature Pokémon league hat. He then grabbed, his green backpack, put his Pokémon eggs inside it and walked out.

Going downstairs to the delicious smell of his mothers cooking, he gave his mother a customary "Morning mom," before sitting down to eat his pancakes while his mother bustled around the kitchen.

"Good morning honey!" She greeted cheerfully, "Are you excited about today? It's going to be your first day as trainer."

"Yeah I can't wait," he said between mouthfuls.

"Well stay safe on your journey," she said as her eyes began to tear up‚ "and don't forget to change your underwear everyday."

Ash blushed, "Don't worry mom, I wont‚" he said as he got up to hug her. Ash hadn't told his mother about the aura training, figuring that it would just worry her even more.

Releasing his mom from the hug, Ash grabbed his backpack and walked out the door. Just as he walked out, he heard his mother call out, saying that she would meet him at Professor Oaks after he had gotten his Pokémon.

It was still only about 9:00 a.m. but he figured that the professor wouldn't mind him arriving early. Once he reached the front door of Oaks house, he rang the doorbell. After waiting for about a minute, Professor Oak opened the door, "Ah Ash, you're the first to arrive. Come in," he said holding the door open.

Ash stepped through and followed Oak through the building to his lab. "Here we are Ash," Oak said, leading him to a contraption in the middle of the room. It had a glass dome that slid away once Oak pressed a button, revealing three Pokéballs.

"Here we have the three starter Pokémon. First is Bulbasaur, the grass type," he pointed to the pokeball with a leaf symbol on it. ‚"Next is Charmander, the fire type," he pointed to the pokeball with a flame symbol on it. "And finally, here is Squirtle, the water type," he pointed to a pokeball with a teardrop symbol on it. "So, which one will it be?" Oak asked.

Ash was silent for a moment, "Professor, I'm really not sure that any of these Pokémon are right for me," he finally said, to the confusion of Professor Oak.

"What do you mean by that?" Oak asked.

"Its hard to explain, but its like a gut instinct," Ash said, in reality, he was tuned in with the subtle fluctuations of his aura and they were telling him not to chose either of the three. "Are there any other Pokémon that are available?"

Oak thought for a moment, "Well, there is one. It's a Pikachu that I caught recently but he's especially wild and will take some time to properly tame."

"Would you mind if I see him?" Ash asked.

"Well I suppose so," Oak said. He pressed another button on the machine and a fourth Pokéball appeared in the center of the other three. This one had a lighting bolt mark on it. The Pokémon researcher took the ball and released its inhabitant. In a storm of electricity, a Pikachu appeared on the table. The moment Ash saw Pikachu, he new that this was the Pokémon for him.

Ash could feel the mistrust and fear that came off of Pikachu in waves through his Aura. Slowly stepping forward, he began pooling Aura into his palm. Pikachu focused in on him while Oak watched in interest. Preparing for the shock of a lifetime, he placed his hand on Pikachu's side and quickly released the pent up aura in a pulse that would initiate an empathy link.

The Reaction was instant; his mind was suddenly filled with rushing images and emotions. Mistrust of humans, a burning desire to become strong, fear of Pokéballs, a thirst to be the best, to name a few; all in a few seconds.

Gently pushing past Pikachu's rampant emotions, Ash opened his heart and let it spill into Pikachu. As had no idea what Pikachu saw within him, but he could feel a steady sense of acceptance and trust build up in the mouse.

Taking this as a good sign, Ash used his aura to communicate across the empathy link. 'Will you join me on my journey and accept me as your trainer Pikachu?' There was a tense silence as Pikachu mulled over his trainer words.

Finally after several minutes, Ash received a distinct mental nod from Pikachu. Ash let out a slight sigh in relief and pressed on. 'If you and I are going to be partners, then I would like to form an aura bond between us, will you allow it?'

An aura bond was a technique that many Aura Guardians used to bond with their Pokémon in a special way. It allowed the bonded to speak telepathically with each other from any distance and formed an empathy link between the two. In order to form the bond, one must take the other's aura and fuse it together with his or her own. Then the other must accept the bond by accepting the bond and letting it settle, making the bond permanent.

Pikachu was shocked by what Ash was asking. After observing this humans heart, he had come to decide that if there was one human in the world that he would willingly serve, it would be this one.

Then Ash had earned his respect by asking him if Ash wanted to he his trainer instead of just ordering him into battle. But, the ultimate shock had not only called him his partner but he had asked him to form an aura bond with him. Although Ash didn't know it yet, he had earned Pikachu's eternal respect, allegiance, and most importantly his friendship.

As soon as Pikachu had gotten over his shock, it was all he could do not to start jumping around in happiness but he know that he would break the link.

Ash gave a mental smile at his new friend and began to initiate the aura bond. Using the empathy link as a guide, he reached out with his aura and latched onto Pikachu's aura. Once he had established a stable connection, he poured more power into it and started to fuse their auras together. Once he was finished, the rest was up to Pikachu.

As a human, Ash had to work for months to bring his aura to the level of control it was at now. Pikachu had it easy, as a Pokémon the use of aura in certain areas came instinctually. Focusing on the newly established bond, Pikachu let it settle, pouring his own power into it to tighten it, and making it permanent. Once the bond was complete, Ash let the empathy link drop and they returned to the real world.

When the empathy link was established, Ash sped up his and Pikachu's perspectives to the speed of true thought. This meant that the last ten minutes that the two had spent in their minds was only about thirty seconds in the real world.

Bringing his eyes back into focus, Ash looked down at the table to see Pikachu rubbing his head against his hand, cooing in pleasure. The mouse then sprinted up the still outstretched arm and settled himself onto his shoulder.

Looking at the now shell-shocked professor, Ash smiled and said, "I choose Pikachu!"

Snapping out of his shock, Oak said, "Well Ash, I must say that I am thoroughly impressed. I was expecting him to shock the living daylights out of you when you touched him. You see I only captured him last night when I found him chewing on the power cables. I haven't had the chance to properly tame him yet."

Glancing at Pikachu, Ash thought, 'Power cables?'

He received the impression of a shrug and Pikachu replied, 'I was bored.'

Focusing back on the professor, Ash said, "Well I guess I did that pretty well."

Chuckling, Oak replied, "Yes you most certainly did. Now you wait here for a moment while I get you your Pokédex and Pokéballs."

As the professor walked out of the room, Ash focused in on Pikachu, "So now that I'm your trainer, I need to know what attacks you know."

After looking thoughtful for a moment, Pikachu said, **"Let's see, I know how to do ThunderShock and Quick Attack. Oh, and I can also do Thunder Wave and maybe Double Team."**

Ash nodded his head, now that they were bonded, Ash could fully understand Pikachu's Pokéspeech. "Ok, that's a good moveset for now, I think we'll start you off with learning Agility for an extra speed boost, then Iron Tail because the first gym had Rock Types."

Professor Oak, who had walked in hearing Ash talk stopped in surprise, 'He certainly did his homework. I wish Gary would take the time to research like Ash apparently has.' He thought to himself as he walked into the room.

"Alright, here you are Ash," he said as he handed Ash a red machine and five shrunken Pokéballs. "Would you like me to explain how the Pokédex works?" he offered.

"That's alright professor, I would rather figure it out on my own," Ash said, as he absently pet Pikachu on his shoulder.

"All right then, here is Pikachu's Pokéball," Oak said as he handed him the Pokéball with the lightning bolt symbol on it.

"Thank you very much Professor," Ash said. With that he walked out of the lab.

Outside of the lab, Ash's mother has organized a small sending off party for Ash of all of her friends. Ash smiled at the sight and gave his mother a hug, "Goodbye Mom," Ash said; "I'll call you once I reach Viridian City."

"Be good out there Ash," she said through tears, "And don't forget to change your underwear." Ash blushed in embarrassment as a few members of the crowd snickered.

"I will Mom, don't worry," Ash said. With that he walked down the road towards Route 1, everyone cheering for him.

* * *

After walking for several hours, chatting with Pikachu, and spotting several different Pokémon, Ash decided to stop for some lunch. After pulling out a sandwich and some Pokémon food for Pikachu, he suddenly remembered something he had forgotten to do. Pulling out his Pokédex, he pointed it towards the eating Pikachu.

**Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pichu. Pikachu's tail is sometimes struck by lighting as it raises it to check its surroundings. This Pikachu is male and has the ability Lightning Rod. He knows the moves Thunder Wave, ThunderShock, Quick Attack, and Double Team. This Pikachu also possesses the egg move Volt Tackle but it has not been unlocked yet.**

"Just like you said, although Volt Tackle is an incredible attack, we will work on that once you've learned Thunder," Ash said.

Once they were both finished, Ash put away the supplies and started to put his pack back on. However, before he could get it all the way on, he heard a steady beeping sound coming from his pack.

"**What's that sound," **Pikachu asked.

Knowing there was only one thing in his pack that would make a sound like that, he pulled out his two Pokémon eggs to discover that both were glowing brightly.

"**Where did you get two Pokémon eggs?" **Pikachu asked in awe.

"I'll tell you later," Ash said. Removing the lids from the incubators, he set up a pair of blankets on the ground and placed an egg on each.

Ash and Pikachu watched in awe as the egg started glowing brighter and brighter before finally starting to change shape. When the glow died, Ash gasped at what he saw. Two Pokémon were sitting before him, one was a small dark blue dog-like Pokémon with a black 'mask' on its face and red eyes. The other was a small light blue serpentine Pokémon with white fins on either side of its head.

"Rio?" "Tini?" the two Pokémon said.

"Oh wow, a Riolu and a Dratini," Ash said in awe. As soon as the two Pokémon saw him, Riolu stood up on slightly wobbly legs and stumbled over to him while Dratini slithered. They both crawled/slithered onto his lap and looked up into his face. Ash just stared at them; going over the information he had learned about their species.

Dratini are extremely rare dragon Pokémon found in Kanto and Johto. If you were lucky enough to capture one, you could become an incredibly powerful trainer because of their final evolution. The Kanto/Johto champion's signature Pokémon was a Dragonite.

Riolu are also rare Pokémon and are only found in Sinnoh. Evolving into the fighting and steel type Lucario, they are powerful Pokémon in their own right. The other thing about Riolu and Lucario was their innate ability to use and control aura.

Suddenly, Ash felt a pull on his aura and he noticed that Riolu was looking at him intently with his paw on Ash's chest. Riolu was forming an aura bond with Ash, he was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the bond forming, and now Riolu was waiting for him to finish it. Ash settled the bond and reinforced it for permanency, making Riolu smile.

'Hi daddy,' Ash heard in his mind. Suddenly Pikachu started on his shoulder, turning to the mouse, Ash said, "Riolu just bonded to me, and since you and I are bonded, you're probably included." Pikachu nodded, but seemed a little unsettled.

Ash chuckled and turned back to Riolu, 'Hello their Riolu, how are you feeling?'

Riolu tilted his head, 'I feel happy!' he said.

With another laugh, Ash turned to Dratini and created an empathy link. He asked the dragon the same things he asked Pikachu, and Dratini readily agreed. Once the bond had formed, Ash heard two stomachs growling. Smirking, he said, "You guys are hungry aren't you?" they nodded again and he pulled out some more Pokémon food for his newest Pokémon.

While they ate, Ash scanned them with his Pokédex.

**Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. Riolu has the power to see and understand emotions like happiness or anger in aura waves. This Riolu is male and has the ability Inner Focus. He knows the moves Quick Attack, Endure, and Counter. This Riolu also possesses the egg move Blaze Kick but it has not been unlocked yet.**

**Dratini, the Dragon Pokémon. Dratini sheds its skin as it grows, often doing so while hidden behind large powerful waterfalls. This Dratini is male and has the ability Shed Skin. He knows the moves Wrap and Leer. This Dratini also possesses the egg move Extreme Speed but it has not been unlocked yet.**

Ash nodded to himself as he processed the information. Sitting up against a nearby tree, he began meditating, allowing his Aura to spread throughout his body and mind. After some time, he felt three more presences making their way towards him. Pikachu jumped up and made himself comfortable on his head, Dratini slithered across his shoulders, and Riolu plopped himself down on his lap and rested his head against Ash's chest.

Extending his aura out to the Pokémon, he let them meld into his meditation. Taking advantage of the situation, Ash began to converse with each Pokémon. He assessed their physical condition and abilities, while planning their training and completely loosing track of time.

Finally after several hours, the ever growing rumbling of several hungry stomachs, forced them to stop. Opening his eyes and looking around, he saw that the sun was beginning to set. "Aw man, we were supposed to be in Viridian City by now," he said to himself, "Aw well, it was defiantly worth it."

He set about creating a fire pit while sending Pikachu and Riolu into the nearby woods to get some firewood. Ten minutes and a ThunderShock from Pikachu found a roaring fire and a cozy campsite. After feeding the Pokémon, he pulled out a can of soup that his mom had made for him. "It's a good thing I packed for several nights," he said to himself as he poured it into a pan and started cooking it over the fire.

Once he had finished his own dinner, he added enough wood to the fire to last the night and pulled his sleeping bag out of his backpack. Immediately after squirming into it, his three other Pokémon snuggled in with him.

"Good night guys" he said to his sleepy Pokémon.

"Pika."

"Rii"

"Tini"

* * *

The next morning, Ash was the first to awaken. He looked around in confusion for a moment before realizing where he was. 'That's right, I started my journey yesterday,' he thought to himself as he started wiggling out of his sleeping bag, waking his three Pokémon in the process. Silently, he walked to the edge of the clearing to start his morning meditations.

His Pokémon very quickly joined him in the same positions as last night, with Riolu in his lap, Dratini across his shoulders, and Pikachu on his head. An hour later found them all eating breakfast.

After breakfast, Ash lead the Pokémon through several different exercises designed to increase physical strength, endurance and stamina. Afterwards, was move tutoring; Pikachu was to learn agility, Riolu was working on Force Palm, and Dratini was learning Twister. While the worked on their moves, Ash walked around and coached when he could while examining their progress. An hour before lunch, Ash called a stop.

They were all doing really well with their moves. Pikachu had Agility perfected, Riolu could achieve a full energy build up and release and was only working on the speed of the attack, Dratini could create a light wind but it wasn't strong enough to do any damage.

The Final hour was one-on-one training with Riolu. Ash was teaching Riolu what he had learned about aura and testing the Emanations Pokémon's skills.

After eating Lunch, Ash captured Riolu and Dratini and set on his way to Viridian City.

After about two hours of walking, they noticed clouds forming overhead. It hadn't started to rain yet, but he could tell it would soon and quickened his pace. Suddenly the two heard a scream coming from the woods. "What was that?" Ash asked.

Pikachu shrugged, not knowing either. "We had better go check it out, someone could need help," Ash said and he ran into the forest in the direction the sound had come from. As he ran, he heard another scream, but this time a deafening roar that he hadn't heard from the road accompanied it.

Bursting out of the brush, he saw an orange haired girl lying near a waterfall. At the base of the waterfall, was a tremendous Gyarados. It roared at the girl and began charging a Hyper Beam.

"Pikachu, quick use agility to get close then use Thunder Wave," Ash commanded.

"**Got it!"** said the rodent and he vanished from Ash's shoulder. Pikachu reappeared standing on Gyarados' head and unleashed a low power electric pulse, designed to paralyze the target. Gyarados froze as the electricity flowed through its body and the Hyper Beam faded. Using agility again, Pikachu reappeared on Ash's shoulder.

Ash quickly ran to the fallen girl; she was shivering on the ground, staring wide-eyed at the Atrocious Pokémon. "Come on," he said, as he grabbed her arms to help her up, "We've got to get out of here before the paralysis wears off." She nodded weakly and let him stander her up.

"My bike," she mumbled weakly, still in shock. He noticed a bicycle leaning on a nearby tree and together they walked towards it. As they walked, he could feel it starting to rain and got a bad feeling. Behind them the Gyarados roared; the two humans whipped around just in time to see the Gyarados use the rain to break free of the Paralysis. It quickly charged a Hyper Beam and fired at them.

Ash reflexively pushed the girl away while simultaneously jumping in the opposite direction. The powerful beam of energy passed in between them and collided with the bicycle, causing it and the tree it was leaning on to explode.

Ash quickly looked back at the rampaging Pokémon, the Gyarados was beyond any sort of reason now. It was thrashing about, throwing Hyper Beams in all directions. He wasn't sure what to do; he didn't think they would make it past the rampaging Gyarados, until the sky lit up with lightning and he suddenly remembered Pikachu's special ability. "Pikachu get above it and use the strongest electric attack you can manage," he said to his starter.

Pikachu nodded and leapt up as high as it could go, then used quick attack to go another five feet. The mouse Pokémon was now above Gyarados and was about to unleash the strongest ThunderShock in history when the sky lit up with lighting again. Pikachu's Lightningrod ability activated and the lighting was redirected to hit Pikachu. The lightning instantly supercharged Pikachu and he unleashed electric hell upon the defenseless Gyarados.

"**Eat Thunder!" **Pikachu yelled.

The Atrocious Pokémon roared in pain as writhed under the supercharged ThunderShock. Finally, the attack ended and Pikachu landed back on Ash's shoulder, completely unscathed, while the Gyarados toppled over and crashed onto the bank.

Ash sighed in relief, turning towards the girl, he asked, "Hey, are you alright?"

She stood up rather shakily and said, "Yeah, I think so, but my bike is trashed." They turned to look at the smoking remains of what, once upon a time, might have been recognizable as a bicycle.

"Yeah, too bad," Ash said, "My name is Ash, I'm from Pallet Town."

"Nice to meet you, my name is Misty, I'm from Cerulean City," Misty replied, "Thanks for saving me. That was very brave of you," She said with a slight blush on her face.

"It's not a problem," Ash said, completely oblivious, "I'm heading to Viridian City, do you want to join me?"

"Sure," Misty said, "I was heading there anyway when I stopped to do some fishing and this Gyarados attacked me."

They turned to look at the smoking remains of the Water/Flying type. "I can't just leave it here to die," Ash said, he walked up to Gyarados and placed his hand against its side. Extending his aura, Ash examined the its injuries. To his surprise, it was still conscious, completely exhausted and in terrible pain, but awake.

Realizing that the Pokémon was awake, Ash tried to establish an empathy link, but the pain was too great. 'There's only one way I can communicate with Gyarados now,' he thought to himself.

Channeling his aura in a different pattern, Ash started using Heal Pulse. Letting the healing energies pulse through Gyarados' body and healing its injuries. Once the pain had ebbed away from the Pokémon's mind, Ash stopped the Heal Pulse and rescanned the Pokémon's body. Most of the burned that had resulted from the lighting had faded, but Gyarados' energy was severely depleted.

Ash then moved onto the next part of his plan, he started forming an aura bond with Gyarados. Fusing their auras together, he didn't wait to see if Gyarados would finish it, he used the link to speak directly to Gyarados' mind.

'How are you feeling?' he asked.

'Are you the one who healed me,' it asked in a feminine voice.

'Yes,' he replied.

'Why,' she asked.

'Because you were injured, and I was the one that caused it. Also had I not then I would have been forced to capture you so that I could take you to the Pokémon Center and have them heal you,' he explained.

'You would not have captured me for my power?' Gyarados asked.

'Not unless I challenged you personally.'

'You are a very unusual human,' Gyarados said, then she completed the aura bond.

Ash was stunned, 'Why did you do that? I only created the bond so that I could communicate then I planned to dissolve it.'

'I can sense that you have a noble heart, I wish to join you on your journey,' Gyarados said.

'If you wish it, I will capture you,' Ash said, 'but I must warn you that my training will not be easy.'

He received a mental smirk from Gyarados, 'All the better.'

'I like your attitude,' Ash said as he withdrew himself from Gyarados' mind. The Atrocious Pokémon was still exhausted so she did not move, but he could see her eyeing him. Giving her a smile he pulled out an empty Pokéball. Tapping it against Gyarados' side, the Pokémon dematerialized into red light before vanishing into the Pokéball. Having no resistance from the willing Gyarados, the Pokéball dinged a successful capture immediately. He then pulled out his Pokédex and scanned his new Pokémon.

**Gyarados, the Atrocious Pokémon, and the evolved form of Magikarp. Its scales are harder than steel and its fangs can crush stone. Use extreme caution when dealing with Gyarados as they have a vicious temperament. This Gyarados is female and has the ability Intimidate. She knows the moves Hyper Beam, Hydro Pump, Twister, and Thrash.**

When he turned back to Misty, she was looking at him with a strange expression. "What did you do?" she asked.

"I used my aura to heal her," he explained, as he started walking towards Viridian.

A look of confusion crossed her face, "Aura? What's aura?"

"Well, aura is the an energy that runs through all things; the earth, rocks, tree's, plants, Pokémon, even people," Ash explained.

"And you can use aura?" she asked and Ash nodded, "Wow, what kind of stuff can you do with aura?"

"With the right training, you can use aura to perform Pokémon attacks, create barriers, communicate with Pokémon, to name a few." He said.

"Do you think I could learn?" she asked.

"It's possible, but only if you have at least 9 types," Ash said, "First we need to figure out what types you are."

"Do you mean like a Pokémon Type?" she asked.

"Exactly," Ash said, "Do you have a type specialty?"

"Oh, I'm a water type trainer," Misty said with stars in her eyes, "Water Pokémon are my favorite. What about you? What type are you?" she asked.

"I'm one of the very rare people that are all types," Ash said. "Usually specialty trainer's tend to train Pokémon that match their aura type but there are several exceptions. I'll have to do a test to find out your exact typing."

"What sort of test?" she asked.

"It's a little hard to explain, I'll show you when we stop." He said.

"Wow, you sure seem to know a lot about Pokémon," Misty said, "but you still look to be a newbie trainer. When did you get your license?"

"Yesterday," Ash said.

"What?" Misty cried in shock. "You've been a trainer for one day and you were able to defeat that Gyarados?"

"Oh, that," Ash said chuckling, "You see, Pikachu's special ability is Lightningrod, which draw's all electrical attacks to him and leaving him unharmed. I just had Pikachu use it to draw a bolt of lightning to himself so that it would supercharge his next attack."

Misty blinked, "That's an impressive strategy, you sure seem to have a way of thinking outside the box."

Ash smiled, "Thanks," he said, then he looked up, "looks like the rain is finally stopping."

Indeed it was, the skies began to clear away as a huge rainbow spread across the sky. "Gorgeous," Misty breathed as they stared at the rainbow.

Suddenly, a shrill yet beautiful shriek filled the air. "What was that?" Ash asked.

"**Look!"** Pikachu suddenly said, pointing. The human's followed his finger towards the horizon. Flying over rainbow was a huge phoenix like Pokémon, it was red and gold and as it flew, a second rainbow, trailing from its tail.

Ash recognized the Pokémon instantly, although he didn't know how, "It's Ho-Oh!" he said in shock. He took out his Pokédex and tried to scan the legendary bird.

**There is no date. There still are Pokémon yet to be identified.**

"If that's true," Misty said, eyes still on the Rainbow Pokémon, "Then how do you know what it is?"

"I'm not sure," he replied, "I've never studied the legendary Pokémon in my books. Its almost like I instinctively know."

They fell silent after that, content to just watch the majestic Pokémon fly past them. Just as Ho-Oh was directly above them, it looked straight down and met Ash's eyes.

In that moment, Ash heard a distinctively female voice echo inside his head. 'Greetings Chosen One, I can sense you have already made use of our gifts. You shall do great things, I give you my blessing's and wish you luck on your journey.'

Ash might have been surprised, if he had not been expecting it. Wait a minute, he had been expecting it? Why was he expecting the voice of the legendary Pokémon flying above him to sound inside his head? He shook his head in confusion, not understanding what was happening.

The voice of Ho-Oh chuckled in his mind, 'Do not worry Chosen One, all will become clear soon enough,' she said.

Sensing the confusion of his trainer, Pikachu looked at Ash in concern. **"Hey are you ok Ash?"**

Ash looked at the Pokémon on his shoulder and smiled, "Don't worry about it Pikachu," he told him, "I'll tell you later." He nodded and went back to watching Ho-Oh fly out of sight.

Once it…she was out of sight, Ash and Misty continued making their way towards Viridian City.

* * *

Upon arrival in Viridian City, a blue haired woman wearing a police uniform confronted the two young trainers. Ash instantly recognized her as one of the hundreds of Officer Jenny's spread throughout all the regions that he had learned about in his studies.

"Halt!" she demanded, "Who are you and where are you going with that Pokémon?"

"My name is Ash Ketchum, I'm a new trainer from Pallet Town," Ash said, "We were just on our way to the Pokémon center."

The officer turned to Misty, waiting for her name. The water trainer raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless said, "My name is Misty Waterflower, and I'm one of the Gym Leaders from Cerulean City." At this, Ash shot Misty a look of surprise, but otherwise accepted the new information.

"Do you kids have some ID to prove it?" the officer asked.

Ash took out his Pokédex and gave it to the officer while Misty took out a blue teardrop shaped badge. Jenny nodded after checking the Pokédex, "Ok, your all clear. Sorry about this, but there is a group of criminals called Team Rocket on the loose somewhere in this area and you looked suspicious with your Pokémon outside of it's Pokéball."

"Its not a problem," Ash said.

"I'd offer you a ride to the Pokémon center for your troubles, but there's only room for one in my motorcycle," Officer Jenny said before walking off.

"So," Ash said as they continued to walk to the Pokémon center, "you're a Gym Leader?"

Misty looked distinctly uncomfortable with the line of talk but finally said, "Yes, I left the gym to go on a journey to become strong and to get away from my three annoying older sisters."

Ash nodded, understanding the basic reasoning despite not having any siblings, and left it at that. Although, he would have to ask her for a gym battle soon if he wanted to compete in the Indigo conference.

Suddenly Misty asked, "You know, I never did ask, why do you let your Pikachu ride on your shoulder instead of keeping it in a Pokéball?"

"That's because Pikachu doesn't like being inside of his Pokéball," Ash replied, "and anyway, I don't mind. Its fun having him on my shoulder." Pikachu smiled and rubbed his face against Ash's in happiness, causing him to laugh.

Upon arrival at the massive Pokémon center, Ash walked up to the counter. "Nurse Joy," he asked, "would you heal my Pokémon please?"

"Of course," she said with a smile and pressed a button on her desk. A moment later, a Chansey came out of the back room, pushing a cart with several indentations for Pokéballs and padded seat for small Pokémon to sit on. Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder onto the cart while Ash placed the rest of his Pokéballs on it.

As Chansey walked away with his Pokémon, Ash went to call his mother.

When he was finished, he spotted Misty reading a magazine in the waiting area so he went to talk with her.

"So where are you heading now?" he asked.

"Well, I don't have any plans for right now, do you mind if I just tag along with you?" Misty asked.

Ash was taken aback but smiled, "Sure, traveling's always fun when you're with someone else."

Misty smiled, "Thanks."

"_Ash Ketchum, please report to the front desk,"_ The voice of Nurse Joy said over the intercom.

He walked over to the front desk, followed by Misty, to find the same cart with all but one of his Pokéballs waiting for him on it. Pikachu leaped back onto his shoulder and Ash clipped Riolu's and Dratini's Pokéballs back onto his belt.

"Your Pokémon are in good condition except for the Gyarados. She's suffering from severe exhaustion so she'll have to stay till morning, next time don't work her so hard," the nurse said with a tone of disapproval in her voice.

Ash ducked his head slightly in shame and nodded. "Do you have a set of rooms we can stay the night in?" he asked.

She nodded and handed him and Misty each a key, "Room 7 and 8 are available down the hall on the left."

"Thank you Nurse Joy," Ash said. He was just about to go to his room when the ceiling exploded.

Ash whipped around just in time to see two Pokéballs come falling through the hole in the ceiling and release an Ekans and a Koffing. Upon release, the Koffing used Smokescreen to fill the entire lobby with black smoke.

He started coughing at the smoke, "What's going on?" he gasped. Activating his Aura Sight, Ash saw three figures come falling through the hole in the ceiling.

"I don't know!" Misty replied between coughs of her own.

As the smoke cleared, two people were revealed in the lobby, with a Meowth standing in between them.

"Prepare for trouble," the pink haired woman said.

"And make it double," the purple haired man said.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all people within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie,"

"James,"

"Team Rocket blasting off at the speed of light,"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight,"

"Meowth that's right," The Meowth said.

"Did that Pokémon just talk?" Misty demanded.

"How is that possible?" Ash asked.

"Never mind how," the Meowth said angrily.

"Now hand over all of the rare and valuable Pokémon you have and we'll be on our way," the pink haired woman, Jessie, said.

"Chop, chop," the blue haired man, James, said.

"Are you serious?" Ash asked incredulous.

"The only Pokémon here are sick and injured Pokémon," Nurse Joy pointed out.

"Be that as it may, I'm sure there are a few extremely rare Pokémon somewhere in this center," James said.

"How about we start with that Pikachu and work our way up from there," Jessie said, pointing at Ash.

"There's no way you're getting any of my Pokémon," Ash told them angrily, "Leave now before I make you."

"Ooh, I think the twerp wants to battle us," Jessie snickered.

"I think you're right," James said with a laugh of his own.

"He won't be alone!" Misty said, stepping up next to Ash, her own Pokéball in her hand.

Ash flashed her a smile, "Nurse Joy go and call Officer Jenny while we hold them off," she nodded and ran into the back of the center, "Pikachu to the battlefront!"

"**Let's show these losers who's boss,"** Pikachu said as he jumped form Ash's shoulder.

"Staryu, you're up!" Misty called as she threw her Pokéball.

"Do you want to take the snake or the gas bag?" Ash asked his teammate.

She smirked, "I'll take the snake. Staryu use Water Gun on Ekans!"

"Pikachu, use ThunderShock!" Ash called.

Both Pokémon responded instantly, Pikachu unleashed a burst of electricity at the Poison Gas Pokémon while Staryu launched a burst of water at the snake Pokémon.

"Ekans dodge and use Bite!" Jessie called.

James shouted, "Koffing dodge that and use Poison Gas attack."

Both poison types jumped out of the way and unleashed their own attacks. Ekans lunged foreword and latched onto Staryu while Koffing started spewing poisonous gas at Pikachu

"Staryu, use Rapid Spin to throw it off," Misty commanded.

"Pikachu, use a widespread Thunder Wave to block the gas," Ash told him.

Staryu started spinning around, causing Ekans to go flying away and actually crash into Koffing. Pikachu's Thunder Wave turned into a net of electricity and was driving the gas back towards their opponents.

The Poison Gas attack engulfed Jessie and James and they started coughing. "Meowth do something!" Jessie demanded.

"What do you expect me to do?" Meowth demanded between his own coughs.

"You're a Pokémon so attack!" James said.

"Oh right," Meowth said stupidly. He then charged at Pikachu yelling, "Alright you mouse, taste my Fury Swipes!"

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack powered with Agility," Ash said.

Pikachu launched forewords at blinding speeds and slammed into the Scratch Cat Pokémon. Meowth went flying and crashed into the two poison types. The three Pokémon then went sliding across the floor and bowled into their owners, knocking them over.

"Now Pikachu, use ThunderShock with all you've got!" Ash commanded.

"Pika!" Pikachu acknowledged and he sent at the strongest ThunderShock he could at the Rockets. Electricity lit up the Pokémon Center as the ThunderShock developed into something more.

The lightning slammed into the people and Pokémon causing them to shriek in pain. Suddenly, Koffing started expelling poisonous gas, causing a violent reaction with the electric attack. There was a large explosion and Team Rocket were blasted out of the building, "Team Rocket's blasting off at the speed of light!" they screamed.

"Awesome job Pikachu, you leaned Thunderbolt!" Ash said with excitement, as he knelt down in front of Pikachu.

The Mouse Pokémon squealed his delight before jumping onto Ash's shoulder and rubbing his face against Ash's.

"Alright what's going on here?" Officer Jenny demanded, as she came storming into the Pokémon Center.

"Officer Jenny, those two are members of the Team Rocket gang you warned us about earlier today were here. They broke into the Pokémon center trying to steal the Pokémon being held here," Ash explained.

"He's right," Misty said, "We just battled them and Ash sent them blasting away with Pikachu's Thunderbolt."

"I can confirm what they have said," Nurse Joy intoned.

"Alright," Officer Jenny nodded, "I guess there's not much left for me to do," Jenny then turned back to Ash and Misty, "I would like to thank you two for your assistance. I don't want to think of what damage they could have done if you weren't here to stop them."

"Thanks' Officer, but all the credit goes to the Pokémon," Ash said as he gestured to Pikachu and Staryu.

"Nevertheless," she gave them a salute and walked out.

* * *

"We work pretty well together," Ash said to Misty as they walked towards their rooms.

"Yeah, we do," she replied. "It's a good thing we're traveling together."

Giving her one last smile, Ash walked into his room and dropped his backpack on the floor. Releasing Dratini and Riolu, Ash plopped down in bed and fell asleep almost instantly, with his Pokémon cuddling against him.

* * *

**So what did you think?**

**Please leave a review but I will ignore an flames**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I can't believe all of the reviews that you guys gave me! Thank you so much!**

**I just realized that I forgot to put up a disclaimer in the first chapter so I'll just put it in the description.**

**Until then:**

**I do not own anything Pokemon!**

**Anyway, here is the next Chapter, Enjoy!**

* * *

The next morning, Ash woke up bright and early, just like always, and did his morning meditation with his Pokémon for an hour. Afterwards he returned Riolu and Dratini and made his way to the lobby.

"Good morning Nurse Joy," he greeted, "Is Gyarados all better?"

"Good morning," she replied, "Yes your Gyarados has made a full recovery. I advise you not to let it get this exhausted again." She told him sternly.

"Yes mam," he said as he took Gyarados' Pokéball and put it back on his belt. "Is there a training field I can use?"

Smiling, she replied, "Yes there is one out in the back of the center."

"Thank you Nurse Joy," he bayed goodbye and went out to the field.

Once he had released Riolu and Dratini again, Ash said, "I want to tell you that we have a new team member." Riolu and Dratini cheered at a new friend. "Now she may look scary but we've already bonded and I'll make sure she doesn't hurt you."

The looked a little unsure at Ash's words but got ready to meet their new teammate. "Ok Gyarados, to the battlefront!" Ash said as he released the Atrocious Pokémon.

Gyarados appeared with a loud roar and she started glaring at the now scared little Pokémon. "Now Gyarados," Ash said out loud, "these are your team mates, you will treat them with the respect you would have them treat you."

She stopped growling and opened her mind to them, communicating across the link. After a few moments, Riolu and Dratini did not look scared any more and went right up to Gyarados.

"All right you guys, its time for some more training," Ash announced.

After a good morning run, Ash had them continue working on their moves. Pikachu started working on Iron Tail, using a stone to strengthen his tail muscles. Riolu perfected his Force Palm, and Dratini continued working on Twister. Gyarados was working directly with Ash. He was assessing her physical condition and examining her moves, while coming up with training strategies.

After working for two hours, Misty finally came out of the Pokémon center.

"Morning Ash," She greeted.

"Morning Misty," he replied, "are you ready to go?"

"Yes, but I need to stop by the Pokémart on our way out of town," she said.

"Alright," he said then turned to the training Pokémon. "Ok guys that's enough for now." The Pokémon stopped training and immediately ran/slithered towards him.

"You guys did really great today. Pikachu you're making excellent progress with Iron Tail, you should have it perfected by tomorrow if you keep up this pace. Riolu your Force Palm is perfect, next we're going to work on teaching you Agility, Pikachu can help you with that. Dratini, good job on your progress with Twister, you just need to work on power a little bit more. Gyarados, you are very powerful, but I'm sure that I'll have something for you to work on soon." The Pokémon nodded and he returned Riolu and Dratini to their balls.

"Wow you have some rare Pokémon," Misty commented as Pikachu leapt back onto Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah, I actually got Riolu and Dratini as eggs about a month ago and they hatched two days ago," he explained.

"Really? Who gave you the eggs," she asked.

"I have no idea, they came in a box that the mailman delivered," he said, "There was no return address and the note that came with the box was simply signed 'A Friend.'"

"That's strange," she commented.

"I know, but I'm not complaining. Anyway lets get going, you said you wanted to stop at the Pokémart?" he asked.

* * *

An hour later, they walked out of the Viridian City Pokémart laden with new Pokéballs, potions, and other essential supplies. They then made their way into Viridian Forest.

While they walked, Ash noticed Misty starting to get fidgety and she would flinch slightly at every sound that the forest made. Putting it aside, he kept walking. However, with each passing hour, her twitching would get continually worse. Finally around lunchtime, he broke down and asked, "Hey Misty are you feeling ok? You seem to be a little jumpy."

She shot him a look that resembled a deer caught in headlights. "Um, yeah I'm fine," she mumbled out.

Looking at his watch, Ash sighed and said, "Lets stop for some lunch, I think I can see a clearing up ahead."

"Okay," Misty said with a slight stutter in her voice.

As Ash was getting out a couple of sandwich's and the Pokémon food, he felt Pikachu tense on his shoulder. Not a moment later, Misty screamed from where she was sitting. Spinning around, Ash saw that she was being attack by a wild Pidgeotto.

Without sparing a second thought, Ash commanded, "Pikachu use ThunderShock!" Pikachu leapt into action, delivering a powerful ThunderShock on the attacking Bird Pokémon. Pidgeotto screamed on pain as the electricity coursed through its system.

As the attack cut off, it turned and gave Ash and Pikachu a very heated glare and prepared itself for a tough battle. Ash smiled, his instincts and aura telling him that this was the type of Pokémon he wanted. "Now Pikachu, Quick Attack followed by a Thunder Wave to paralyze it!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu shot across the clearing at high speeds, followed by a trail of energy, and slammed into the Pidgeotto while simultaneously unleashing a low electric pulse to paralyze the target. The Bird Pokémon was sent flying across the clearing before crashing into a tree.

A second later, a Pokéball hit the Pokémon's side and it was absorbed into the ball. The red and white sphere rocked back and forth once…twice…three times before it dinged a successful capture. "Yes!" Ash said in triumphed as Pikachu picked up the ball to give to its trainer.

"Are you ok Misty?" Ash asked, once Pikachu had given him the Pokéball.

"Yeah I'm fine, I guess that's two I owe you now," she joked.

Pulling a potion out of his bag, Ash released his new Pidgeotto so that he could heal it.

Once he was finished, Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned his new Pokémon.

**Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokémon and the evolved form of Pidgey. It is armed with sharp claws and dives from the sky to capture its prey. This Pidgeotto is female and had the ability Keen Eye. She knows the moves Gust, Quick Attack, Twister, and Wing Attack.**

Ash whistled then bent down on his knees, "Hi Pidgeotto, my name's Ash and I'm training to be a Pokémon master. If I'm going to succeed then I'm going to need the best of the best by my side, do you think you're up for it?"

The Bird Pokémon stared at him for a minute before her beak stretched into its best smirk and she nodded. "Great to have you on board," Ash said with a smile. Placing a hand on her back, Ash created an aura bond. She looked surprised but accepted the bond.

Once they had all finished lunch, they continued walking through the forest. It was very calm and peaceful except for Misty's twitching. As they walked, Ash continued working on his Aura senses and Aura sight. His abilities were progressing very well; when he concentrated, he could smell a certain flower a hundred yards away, see a single blade of grass in perfect detail, or hear Pidgey twittering high up in the sky.

That night, they set up camp near a lake that Misty had spotted off the path.

* * *

The next morning found Ash, Riolu, Pikachu, Dratini, Gyarados and Pidgeotto all meditating together, Pidgeotto had taken to roosting against Ash's side while Gyarados curled up around all of them and Ash was resting against her side. Suddenly a sharp scream rent the air.

Ash and the Pokémon immediately sprang into action, "What happened?" Ash demanded, seeing no attackers, or forest fire. He zeroed in on Misty who was sitting up in her sleeping bag, shaking like a leaf. There was a Caterpie sitting on her chest and it was rubbing its head against her.

"It's a bug!" Misty stuttered in a clear panic.

Ash sighed in exasperation as he walked up, "I take it you're afraid of Bug Type Pokémon?"

She nodded very fast, her eyes never leaving the Caterpie. Shaking his head, Ash scooped up the Worm Pokémon and took it over to a nearby tree. Carefully placing it on one of the branches, he watched as it crawled out of sight.

Once he had finished, Ash started leading his Pokémon through their usual exercises before moving on to move tutoring, while Misty watched them in interest, having never seen Ash train before. Riolu, after a quick discussion with Pikachu, was practicing agility. Pikachu and Dratini were working on perfecting Iron Tail and Twister respectively and Ash started Pidgeotto learning Steel Wing. Since Gyarados already new twister, she was working with Dratini. Once Dratini perfected Twister he and Gyarados were going to be learning Dragon Rage together.

While the Pokémon were working, Ash pulled out a very large and old book from his backpack.

"How did that fit in there?" Misty asked in surprise.

"That's a story for another time, first we are going to find out what Pokémon type you are," Ash explained. He opened it to a blank page. "This is a special book that will react to your aura. When you place you're hand on this page, it will tell you what type you are."

He put his fingers on the page and seventeen different words wrote themselves across the page, naming all of the different Pokémon types.

"Now its your turn," he said to Misty.

Tentatively, Misty put her hand on the blank page of the book. Four words wrote themselves on the page.

_Water, Normal, Fighting, Fire_

"Hmm, only four types, that limits what you can learn, but it does not make it impossible." Ash said more to himself than to Misty.

"Wh…what?" Misty said in shock, "Fire! I'm a fire type!"

"Water and Normal were pretty much a given," Ash explained, "Almost everyone is a Normal type. The fighting type means that you'll never back down no matter the odds. Fire type's tend to have a very fiery personality."

"So I have to get a Fire Pokémon?" Misty said, still in shock.

"Not at all," Ash said, "This just means that you can use these kinds of Pokémon attacks, and you will bond best with Normal, Water, Fighting, and Fire type Pokémon. It also means that you can only perform Aura bonds with Pokémon that have one of these types."

"What's an aura bond?" she asked.

After Ash explained it to her she was starry eyed, "You mean that I can understand Pokémon that I have bonded with?"

"Exactly, but first you need to learn how to create the bond," he explained.

She looked crestfallen, "How long will that take?"

Ash shrugged, "Its different for everybody."

Ash spent the next hour explaining about different aspects of aura until they called it quits for lunchtime. Once all of the humans and Pokémon had eaten, Ash returned everyone but Pikachu and they set on their way.

* * *

As they were walking, Misty let out a shriek. Having gotten used to Misty's frantic yelling, Ash calmly turned to the redhead to see a Weedle trying to climb up her leg.

"You know," Ash said as he grabbed the bug and deposited it on a nearby tree, "I think the bugs sense your fear and are trying to make you feel better about them."

Misty humphed, "Well I wish they wouldn't," she said angrily.

'Enter the Fire Type,' Ash thought, sensing nods from all the Pokémon. He shook his head as they continued walking through the forest.

Suddenly there was a rustling from the grass near them. With a shout, a kid wearing a Samurai outfit and wielding a sharp looking Katana charged out of the bush's. Swinging the sword, he aimed to point it directly in Ash's face.

Unfortunately for him, Pikachu was quicker. As the sword came down, Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder as his tail took a metallic shine, he swung his tail around and slammed it into the sword. The Katana went spinning away and found itself embedded in a tree while the Samurai kid spun around and landed on his ass.

"Who are you?" Ash demanded as Pikachu landed back on his shoulder. The Mouse Pokémon started sparking threateningly.

Raising his hands in a placating gesture, "Please, this is all a misunderstanding, I never meant to hurt anyone. I am called Samurai and I am a Pokémon trainer."

"If that's true then what were you doing swinging that damn sword at me?" Ash asked angrily, Pikachu still growling and sparking on his shoulder.

"It is merely a test to see if you are worthy trainer, I had no intention to harm you," Samurai said.

"That is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard," Misty said.

The Samurai kid sweat dropped, hoping to change the subject, he asked, "Are one of you perhaps from the town of Pallet?"

Looking taken aback, Ash said, "I'm from Pallet Town."

Samurai stood up with a triumphant expression on his face. Pointing at Ash, Samurai said, "Three trainers from Pallet Town have already passed through this forest and I have battled each of them. The battles were glorious even though I lost to all of them. I wish to challenge you to a battle in hopes of regaining my honor."

Ash perked up at this, his first trainer battle, 'Oh this is going to be fun,' he thought. His Pokémon started laughing in glee, ready to trounce the freak. "I accept, what are the conditions?" he asked.

"It will be a two-on-two battle with no substitutions," Samurai said.

"Fine," Ash replied.

"Pinsir, into battle!" Samurai shouted. A large Pinsir appeared out of the Pokéball that Samurai threw and snapped its horns menacingly.

Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned Pinsir.

**Pinsir, the Stag Beetle Pokémon. Pinsir is astoundingly strong. It can grip a foe weighing twice its weight in its horns and easily lift it. This Pokémon's movements turn sluggish in cold places.**

'Hmm, a bug type,' Ash thought, 'Pidgeotto, are you ready?'

'Let me at it, I'll crush the bug!' she replied enthusiastically.

Grabbing her Pokéball from his belt, Ash threw it saying, "Pidgeotto, to the battlefront!" The Bird Pokémon appeared in a flash of light, ready for action.

"Now Pinsir, use Bind!" Samurai commanded. Pinsir lowered its horns and charged Pidgeotto, intending to grab the bird and crush it.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" the Bird Pokémon bolted out of the Pinsir's path in a streak of light. "Now come around and use Wing Attack!" Pidgeotto's wings started glowing bright white as she circled the clearing and aimed at Pinsir's back.

"Pinsir, behind you!" Samurai shouted. The Stag Beetle Pokémon turned around just in time to see a flash of brown as Pidgeotto slammed her wing into it. Pinsir crashed down to the ground from the impact while Pidgeotto landed in front of Ash.

"Ah! Pinsir get up," Samurai encouraged.

Seeing Pinsir stagger back to its feet, Ash called out, "Now finish it with Gust!" Pidgeotto started flapping her wings and blades of energy went sailing at Pinsir, whipping up powerful winds around them. The attack slammed into Pinsir, sending it flying across the clearing.

When Pinsir landed, there were swirls in its eyes, signifying its defeat. "Pinsir return," Samurai returned his Pokémon then grabbed his second Pokéball. "Go Metapod!" with a flash the Cocoon Pokémon appeared.

'Seriously, a Metapod? Well a battle is a battle,' Ash thought, 'Don't let Metapod Harden, it will just prolong the inevitable.'

"Metapod use Hard…" Samurai began.

"Quick Attack!" Ash shouted.

Before Metapod could even register the command, Pidgeotto slammed into it, sending it across the field. Since Metapod already have a high defense, it survived the attack, but Ash wasn't giving up.

"Keep going Pidgeotto, Quick Attack again!" Ash said.

Suddenly Ash, felt a surge of excitement, 'I'll give you one better,' Pidgeotto thought to him. Pidgeotto performed a flip in midair, coming in close to the ground. Her body became surrounded in white streaks and she rocketed at Metapod. Just before hitting Metapod, she vanished, before slamming into the Cocoon Pokémon, and sending it flying across the clearing again. Metapod was unconscious before it hit the ground.

"Awesome job Pidgeotto, that Aerial Ace was perfect," Ash congratulated.

"**Of course it was,"** she said.

Wordlessly, Samurai returned Metapod. Turning to Ash, he said, "You are truly a powerful trainer, thank you for the battle."

"Yeah I had fun," Ash replied, "Let's have a rematch next time we meet."

"Very well, I wish you good luck on your journey," Samurai said.

He was about to turn around when Misty interrupted, "Hey do you know how far away we are from Pewter City?"

Samurai nodded, "Approximately an hour's journey in that direction," He said pointing in the direction that they were heading.

"Thanks," Misty replied.

* * *

Upon entering Pewter City, Ash went directly to the Pokémon center. After dropping his Pokémon with Nurse Joy, he went around and talked with different trainers to see what they new about the Gym Leader.

"So what did you find out?" Misty asked when he walked back to her.

"Apparently the leader's name is Brock. He usually holds 3-on-3 battles and always saves his Onix for last," Ash said.

"So he's a Rock Type trainer?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's why I had Pikachu learn Iron Tail and Pidgeotto learn Steel Wing," Ash explained, "Those Steel Type attacks would be extremely effective against Brock's Rock Types. Also, he will probably underestimate me it I use a Pokémon with a type disadvantage."

"Well good luck, I'll be watching so you'd better not disappoint me," Misty said with a grin.

"I won't," Ash said as the Pokémon center chime went off, signaling that his Pokémon were healed.

Once Ash collected his Pokéballs and Pikachu, he headed directly to the Pewter Gym, with Misty at his side. Upon arrival at the Stone building, Ash confidently pushed the doors open and walked in.

The inside of the Gym was pitch black, but Ash could sense someone sitting on the other side of the room. This was confirmed when a voice rang out, "Who goes there?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I challenge you to a battle!" Ash called back.

"Very well, I accept your challenge," the voice replied. Suddenly, the entire gym lit up and a Rocky battlefield started rolling onto the floor. On the other side of the field, a teenager was sitting cross-legged against the wall.

When the field was completely formed, a referee walked onto the field to announce the rules. "This will be a three-on-three Pokémon battle between the challenger Ash of Pallet Town, and the Pewter City Gym Leader Brock. Only the challenger will be allowed to make substitutions."

"Good luck Ash," Misty said as she walked over to the sidelines.

Brock stood up, took his first Pokéball, and threw it onto the field. "Geodude, I choose you!" he called.

Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned Geodude.

**Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Geodude has incredibly high defensive power, making it virtually resistant to any physical attacks.**

Putting his Pokédex away, Ash pulled out his own Pokéball. "All right Pidgeotto, to the battlefront!" Ash threw the ball and Pidgeotto appeared with a cry, "Pidgeooo!"

Brock raised his eyebrows, "You're using a Flying Type against my Rock Type? You don't stand a chance."

Pidgeotto narrowed her eyes, 'Oh it is on!' she thought, 'Ash lets beat this rock back to the Stone Age.'

'You got it,' Ash thought back.

The referee raised his flags, "The challenger has the first move. Ready, Begin!"

"Ok Pidgeotto, let's start off with Gust!" Ash called. Pidgeotto lifted off and started flapping her wings hard. Blades of energy started swirling a powerful wind inside of the field, causing some damage to Geodude.

"Hold strong Geodude, when the attack ends use Rock Throw!" Brock called. Geodude braced itself against the wind and waited for the Gust Attack to end. When the wind died down, Geodude shoved its hands into the ground and brought up several large rocks and started launching them at Pidgeotto.

"Dodge them!" Ash called. Pidgeotto started flying all over the field, swerving in and around the flying rocks. Suddenly, one of the rocks clipped her wing and Pidgeotto went down with a cry of pain.

"Great job Geodude!" Brock said, "Now finish it with Roll Out!" Geodude tucked its arms to its body and started rolling towards the downed Pidgeotto at high speed.

"Quick Pidgeotto, get up and use Steel Wing to defend yourself!" Ash yelled. Pidgeotto managed to stagger back to her feet and brought her wings out in front of her to shield her body. The wings then gained a metallic glow as they turned into hard steel.

Geodude slammed into the steel hard wings and pushed Pidgeotto back a foot before coming to a stop. "Now use Twister to blow it away!" Ash ordered. Pidgeotto's wings returned to normal as she brought them back behind her. With a single powerful flap, a tornado formed around Geodude and the Rock Pokémon was sent tumbling away.

"Now combine Aerial Ace with Steel Wing and bring it on home!" Ash shouted. Pidgeotto lifted off and performed a back flip in the air as blades of white energy surrounded her. At the same time, her outstretched wings regained their metallic glow. A foot away from Geodude, Pidgeotto vanished before slamming into the Rock Pokémon. Geodude was sent flying across the gym and landed in a cloud of dust.

"Geodude is unable to battle, Pidgeotto wins," the referee announced.

Brock was shocked, 'He beat me with a Flying Type, I had better not underestimate him anymore,' he thought to himself as he recalled his Geodude.

"Graveler go!" Brock threw this second Pokéball and released the evolved form of Geodude. Again, Ash pulled his Pokédex to scan his opponent.

**Graveler the Rock Pokémon, and the evolved form of Geodude. A slow walker, it rolls to move. It pays no attention to any object that happens to be in its path.**

"Alright Pidgeotto return," Ash recalled the Bird Pokémon to her Pokéball, "Pikachu, are you ready?"

"**Hell yeah!"** Pikachu said as he bounded onto the field.

"So he's using a Pikachu this time," Brock mumbled to himself, studying his opponent.

"Pikachu, start off with Quick Attack," Ash started off the match. Pikachu shot off across the field with a trail of bright while light.

"Graveler, Defense Curl!" Graveler tucked its limbs close to its body and curled into a tight ball. Dramatically increasing its already staggeringly high defense.

At the last possible second, Ash shouted, "Switch to Iron Tail!" In the middle of his run, Pikachu leapt into the air as his tail took on a metallic shine. Using the speed he gained from Quick Attack, Pikachu swung his tail around and slammed it into the ball of rock.

The force of the attack sent the Rock Pokémon flying across the field. Unfortunately for Ash, Brock was ready for something like this. "Use Magnitude!" he shouted as Graveler flew through the air.

Using the force of its fall to increase the power of its attack, Graveler slammed his fist on the ground. Shockwaves erupted where Graveler's fist made contact and the entire field started shaking, causing damage to an unprepared Pikachu.

"Oh no, Pikachu!" Ash called in worry. 'Are you ok buddy?' he asked across the aura bond.

'Ouch,' Pikachu groaned, 'that hurt, but I can still battle.'

Brock, who was now wondering if Pidgeotto's win was just a fluke, called out to Ash, "Sending an Electric Type to battle a Rock and Ground Type was a foolish decision. Although I commend you for teaching it Iron Tail, it still isn't enough to beat me."

Ash was angry now, "Save you opinions for after the match," he told the gym leader angrily.

"Very well, Graveler, finish this with Roll Out!" Brock commanded. Graveler instantly curled into a ball and started rolling at Pikachu at high speed.

Ash smirked as a plan formed in his head. Pikachu picked up on it and a smile formed on his own face. "Alright Pikachu, use Agility to dodge!"

"**Got it!"** Pikachu confirmed. Then he all but vanished as he started running around the field faster then the human eye can follow, appearing at different intervals on the field. Only Ash's aura increased senses let him track Pikachu's progress.

Graveler stopped rolling and looked around in confusion, trying to follow the illusive mouse. "This is going nowhere, Graveler, use Magnitude again." Brock commanded. Graveler slammed its fist into the ground again and shockwaves erupted around it, causing the ground to shake violently.

Ash could sense that this Magnitude was even more powerful than the previous one and new that Pikachu would not survive it if he was hit, so he did the first thing that came to his mind. "Pikachu, use your tail to jump above the field." Pikachu leaned back and used his tail as a springboard to launch himself high above the field.

"Graveler, use Smack Down," Brock quickly ordered. Graveler grabbed a large rock from the field and launched it at the airborne Pikachu.

"Pikachu quick use defend yourself with Iron Tail," Ash called. Pikachu's tail took on a metallic glow as he did a flip in midair, bringing his tail down and slicing the rock in half. "Now combine Quick Attack and Iron Tail and finish this!" Ash yelled. Pikachu shot down towards Graveler almost two quick for the human eye to follow. At the last second, he did a front flip and brought his tail down and struck Graveler right between the eyes.

The Rock Pokémon was sent flying across the field, and crashed into a large rock, kicking up a cloud of dust. When Ash used his aura sight to look at Graveler, he was shocked. The dust quickly cleared to reveal Graveler still standing up, and ready to fight. The only noticeable damage was a small crack in its rocky skin, where Pikachu's tail had struck.

Both Pokémon were now panting heavily, the long battle had taken its toll on both of them. Ash knew that neither Pokémon wouldn't last much longer, a quick glance at Brock confirmed that he thought the same them for Graveler.

"Okay Pikachu, its time to finish this once and for all, use Iron Tail," Ash shouted.

"Graveler, use Mega Punch!" Brock countered.

Both Pokémon launched themselves at each other, Pikachu's tail taking on a metallic glow while Graveler's fist started glowing. Both attacks met in the center of the field with a resounding crash and held each other in a stalemate. Suddenly, the energy from the two attacks reacted together and caused a massive explosion, catching both Pikachu and Graveler in the blast.

"Pika!/Graveler!" The Pokémon shouted in pain as they flew across the field, which was now covered in a cloud of black smoke. When the field cleared, Pikachu and Graveler were both knocked unconscious.

"Both Pikachu and Graveler are unable to battle, the match results in a draw!" the referee announced as he raised both flags.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted as he ran out to the field. Reaching the yellow mouse, Ash gently cradled him in his arms, "Are you ok buddy?" he asked.

"**Yeah I'm fine Nash, you'd better win this Ketchup!"** Pikachu replied in a daze.

Ash smiled as he gently placed Pikachu next to him in the trainer's box, "Don't worry buddy, we'll win this battle, its time for me to bring out the big guns," Ash said.

"You've put up a very good battle Ash, but you won't be able to beat my last Pokémon, Go Onix!" Brock threw his Pokéball onto the field and unleashed his giant Rock Snake Pokémon.

Ash stared at the large Pokémon as he took out his Pokédex.

**Onix, the Rock Snake Pokémon. It tunnels through the ground which shakes when it raises its thunderous roar. It can move through the ground at fifty miles per hour.**

Putting his Pokédex away, Ash gave a wide grin as he reached for his last Pokéball. "Since you're so sure that you'll win, lets see how you handle this Pokémon," Ash said to Brock, "Gyarados to the battlefront!" Ash threw the Pokéball and his Gyarados emerged with a roar that shook the building. Gyarados' size easily matched Onix's and she stared down the Rock Type.

Ash smirked at Brock, who didn't seem quite as sure of himself as before. "Shall we continue?" he asked the Gym leader.

Brock started, "Um, yeah. Onix use tackle!" Onix coiled itself up before launching itself at Gyarados; intent on slamming it's horn into Gyarados' side.

"Gyarados, blow it back with Twister," Ash said. The Atrocious Pokémon reared back as a violent tornado formed in front of her. Gyarados launched the Twister attack at Onix who was brought up short by the suddenness of the attack.

"Now use Hydro Pump," Ash shouted. Gyarados shot a stream of extremely high-powered water at the Rock and Ground Type. The attack collided with Onix and it roared out in pain, before collapsing on itself in a dead faint.

The Gym was silent for a moment as everyone sat stunned at what just happened. Finally the referee snapped out of his daze and raised his flags. "Onix is unable to battle, Gyarados wins and the match goes to Ash of Pallet Town!"

Ash walked out to the field and patted Gyarados' side, "Great job girl, thank you." She gave a grunt in reply as he returned her to her Pokéball.

Once Brock had returned his Onix, he walked over to Ash. "I was expecting a lot of things to come out of that last Pokéball, but a Gyarados was not one of them, that was a great battle Ash," he congratulated.

"Thanks Brock," Ash replied.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Brock asked. Ash nodded, and he continued, "Why didn't you just start with Gyarados instead of Pidgeotto and Pikachu?"

"In truth, I wasn't planning on using Gyarados at all," Ash said. Seeing Brock's shocked expression, he elaborated, "You see, I didn't want to use Gyarados because that would have been too easy and if I just use her for all of my battles then none of my other Pokémon would grow, it would also make battles extremely boring."

Brock smiled, "Good answer," he said.

The Gym leader started digging through his pocket before pulling out a simple gray octagon and offering it to Ash, "In recognition of defeating me, I give you the Boulder Badge."

"Thank you," Ash said, taking the badge.

Just then Misty arrived, "Great job Ash, that was a really good battle," she congratulated.

"Hey thanks Misty," Ash replied, "Well, lets go to the Pokémon center, I need to heal Pikachu."

"Hey do you mind if I come with you?" Brock asked, "My Pokémon need healing after the beating you just gave them."

"Sure, no problem," Ash said. Together the three of them left the gym and proceeded to make their way through the city towards the Pokémon center.

As they walked, Ash decided to ask a question of his own. "So Brock, do you enjoy being a Gym Leader?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, its great," Brock said, but Ash could tell he was leaving something out. Finally after a moment of silence, Brock sighed and continued, "To tell you the truth, what I really want to do is become the greatest Pokémon breeder in the world."

"So what's stopping you?" Misty asked.

Brock gave a great sigh, "Well you see, I have eight younger brothers and sisters that I'm taking care of at home. My parents are both out of town and I can't just leave them behind."

"Wow that's a bummer," Misty commented.

"Yeah," Ash said, "well if you ever get the chance to travel, you're welcome to join us."

They had just arrived at the Pokémon center and Brock and Ash walked up to the counter. After dropping of their tired Pokémon, Brock turned to Ash.

"Thanks for the offer Ash, I might just take you up on that," the older boy said, "Good luck on the rest of your journey."

"Thanks Brock," Ash replied, "Good luck with your dream too."

Once the gym leader had left, Ash walked over to Misty. She was hanging out in the trainer's lounge, "So I was thinking of heading over to Cerulean City next." He said to her.

Misty stiffened upon hearing about her home city, "Why would you want to go there?" she asked.

"Well I need to challenge the Gym," Ash replied, "So will you accept my challenge?"

Misty's eye's snapped up to Ash and she looked startled, "How did you know that I was the gym leader?" she stuttered.

Ash looked at her funny, "I was standing right next to you when you told Officer Jenny and flashed her your badge in Viridian City."

The redhead visibly relaxed as she remembered the incident, "Oh yeah, I guess I forgot about that."

"So how about it," Ash asked again, "will you accept my challenge?"

"Challenge…" Misty mused as something came to her, "badge…yes!" Misty jumped up and began rummaging through her bag while Ash watched her in confusion.

"Ah hah!" Misty said triumphantly as she pulled a blue teardrop shaped object from her bag. Turning to Ash, she said, "I always carry a few spare badges with me when I travel, just in case."

"Ok cool," Ash said, his voice laced with confusion, "but what does that have to do with my gym challenge?"

"I really don't want to go back to Cerulean City and deal with my sister's right now," she explained, "So here's what were going to do…"

* * *

The next morning, Ash and Misty were making their way out of Pewter City when they heard a voice cry out from behind them.

"Hey Ash wait up!" the voice called.

Turning, Ash saw Brock running after them, a large backpack on his shoulders. When he caught up with them, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath, panting hard. After a minute, he said, "It turns out that my dad had been in town for a week now, trying to gather the courage to come and see me. He heard our conversation yesterday and finally came home to take over the gym so that I could travel."

"That's great Brock," Ash said with enthusiasm, "so are you going to join us?"

"Yeah if you don't mind," Brock replied.

"Not at all," Ash said.

"So where are we heading?" Brock asked as they continued their trek.

"Vermillion City," Ash replied.

"Vermillion? Why not Cerulean City?" Brock asked, "It's much closer and you'll need to get a badge their to compete in the Kanto League."

"Don't worry," Ash said, glancing at Misty, "We've got that covered."

* * *

**So what did you think?**

**Review, flames will be ignored.**

**P.S. I fixed that Gyarados/Onix typo, thanks to Moonstone blaze for pointing it out to me.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so sorry for the long wait. A combination of laziness, procrastinating school, and hundreds of Idea's flying through my head at Mach 27 makes it difficult to write a good chapter.**

**You guys have been so great and patient Thank you for all the great reviews**

**and here the next chapter.**

* * *

Ash, Misty, and Brock were on their way to Vermillion City. As they traveled, Ash continued training and teaching his Pokémon new moves. Pikachu and Riolu were working together to learn Dig, while Dratini and Gyarados were also teaming up to learn Dragon Rage. At the same time, Pidgeotto was working on Agility.

Often times, Ash and Riolu would disappear for an hour or two, leaving the Pokémon to train by themselves. The two would always come back looking very pleased and refused to say what they had been doing when questioned. All of the Pokémon knew what they were doing because of the aura bonds, but they refused to say anything either.

Instead of traveling through Mt. Moon, the trio decided to travel around the mountain in a more direct route to Vermillion city. As they passed by the cave entrance, Brock captured a Zubat that had somehow wandered out of the cave.

Their days were filled with training, walking, and talking. Finally, one day they happened upon a waterfall in the middle of the forest.

"Oh wow!" Misty gushed, "Look at the beautiful waterfall."

"Yeah!" Brock agreed, "I wonder if anybody knows about this place?"

"**Hey Ash, look at that!"** Pikachu suddenly spoke from Ash's shoulder, pointing at the water's edge.

Following Pikachu's hand, Ash saw a small blue Pokémon drinking from a pool at the base of the waterfall.

"Hey look, it's an Oddish!" Ash said.

Brock and Misty both looked and spotted the small Pokémon. The moment Misty laid eyes on it; she let out a small squeal, "Oh Cutie! I'm gonna catch it!" she decided and pulled out a Pokéball.

"Why?" Ash interrupted before she could throw the ball. "Oddish are Grass Types, not Water Types."

That stopped Misty short, "Oh, I guess I just assumed it was a Water Type since its right next to the water." She sighed as she put her Pokéball back away. They watched as the Oddish noticed them and ran off.

"Don't worry about it Misty," Brock said, "It's an easy mistake to make. So what do you guys think of stopping here for lunch today?"

"That sounds like a great idea Brock," Misty said.

"Ash, can you go collect some wood for a fire?" Brock asked.

"No problem," he replied. Leaving Brock and Misty to set up camp, Ash pushed into the woods surrounding the pool and went searching for some dried up wood.

After fifteen minutes of searching, he finally found a dead tree that had fallen over. "Okay Pikachu, use your Iron Tail to lop off some of those larger branches and cut then down to smaller pieces." The mouse nodded on his shoulder and got to work.

While Pikachu was working, Ash was breaking off some smaller branches that could be used as kindling. Suddenly, Ash heard a rustling from a nearby bush. Turning, Ash watched as a small blue-green Pokémon came bursting out of the bush and started glaring and growling at him.

'A Bulbasaur!' Ash thought in surprise.

'Are you going to catch it?' Pidgeotto asked.

'Hmm,' Ash thought. Extending his aura, Ash felt the turmoil and anger spreading through the small Pokémon in front of him. He could also sense a determination and a willingness to gain strength. 'I think I had better, I can probably help with the emotional turmoil in his heart.'

'Ooh pick me, pick me!' Dratini said in excitement.

Ash chuckled mentally, 'I'm sorry Dratini but you aren't quite ready for a battle yet, I'm going to go with Pidgeotto on this one.'

'Awe,' Dratini whined.

Bulbasaur was thoroughly confused now. He had just leapt out into the clearing, growling at the human intruder. He was expecting the human to either run or attack him; instead, the human just stood there and stared at him. Out of the corner of his eye, Bulbasaur could see a Pikachu using Iron Tail to cut apart some wood, completely ignoring them.

Focusing back on the human, Bulbasaur met his eyes and tried to understand what was happening. As he looked into the human's eyes, he saw an oddly familiar spark in them, and it made something in his mind click.

Long ago, he had promised himself to never trust a human, apart from Melanie, ever again. But there was something in this human's eyes that made him want to give him a chance.

Ash watched as the Bulbasaur changed its stance. At first it was trying to look intimidating, as if to scare him off. Now, Bulbasaur's posture was one of challenge, he was challenging Ash to try and catch him.

Giving a smile, Ash reached for one of his Pokéballs and threw it, "Pidgeotto, to the battlefront!" The Bird Pokémon appeared with a cry and she ruffled her feathers as she got ready for battle.

Bulbasaur was the first to attack, launching a Razor Leaf at Pidgeotto. The attack was so fast that Ash had no time to react and Pidgeotto was hit. Multiple razor sharp leaves were suddenly assaulting the Bird Pokémon.

"Quick, Double Team!" Ash shouted. Pidgeotto flashed before multiple copies of the Flying type appeared all over the clearing. "Now use Aerial Ace!" Ash called. Each of the duplicates leapt into the air and aimed for Bulbasaur as white blades of energy surrounded them.

Bulbasaur had no chance as he was struck by each of the copies, until the real one connected and launched the Seed Pokémon across the clearing. Ash quickly threw an empty Pokéball at the downed Bulbasaur. The red and white sphere connected against the Pokémon side and Bulbasaur vanished in a flash of red light. The Pokéball started rocking back and forth as Bulbasaur tried to break free.

After several seconds, the Pokéball continued rocking until it settled and let out a loud ding, signifying a successful capture. Ash blinked in surprise, he had been expecting the Bulbasaur to break out with how long it was taking.

With a quick mental command, Pidgeotto swooped down and picked up the silent Pokéball in her claws while ash dug a super potion out of his backpack. Once Pidgeotto dropped the Pokéball in his lap, Ash quickly released his newest capture.

Upon release, Bulbasaur turned a curious and very wary gaze at his new trainer. Ash noticed this and said nothing as he showed the super potion to the wary Pokémon. Bulbasaur's eyes widened in recognition and astonishment, he nodded his head and Ash started healing him of his recent injuries.

Once he was finished, Ash put the now empty Super Potion back into his pack and turned back to the still wary Bulbasaur. "Now," Ash said as he slowly reached his hand out to the Pokémon, "let's see if we can release all this anger you've built within yourself."

Before Bulbasaur could react, Ash placed his hand on his head and initiated an empathy link.

With the empathy link established, Ash opened his heart to the Seed Pokémon to prove his worth. Ash focused as he felt the fear, anger, and confusion that had filled Bulbasaur gave way to a sense of peace and security. Ash could sense that Bulbasaur had not truly felt these emotions in a very long time.

A sad smile found itself on Ash's face as he observed Bulbasaur's emotions. Pushing deeper into Bulbasaur's emotional center, he came upon a block. It was like a compounded knot of hate, anger, fear, mistrust, sadness, loneliness, and other negative emotions. As ash examined the bock, he caught flashes of memories directly linked to the formations of the block.

After watching the memories for a minute, Ash refocused his attention from to Bulbasaur's mind and opened a telepathic link. 'I can see you didn't have an easy life, Bulbasaur. When your first trainer abandoned you, it caused severe emotional scarring that makes it difficult for anyone to earn your trust. If you can find it in yourself to trust me, then we can work together to heal you.'

Bulbasaur was silent as he contemplated Ash's words. Finally, Bulbasaur replied, 'how do I know you're telling the truth?'

'That is for you to decide,' Ash replied, 'but I would suggest understanding why you challenged me instead of fleeing like you seem to do for most trainers.'

Bulbasaur fell silent again, as he tried to remember what he was thinking and feeling at the time. Unfortunately, for one so young, it was very difficult to manipulate ones thoughts without training. Bulbasaur himself had no knowledge of such things, but Ash obviously did.

Thinking this, Bulbasaur let out a sigh, 'I can't,' he said reluctantly, 'will you help me?' he pleaded Ash.

Said trainer was very pleased, 'Of course I'll help you, admitting you need help is the first step in building trust,' Ash explained, 'but it will take a deeper connection than the one I have set up.'

Bulbasaur considered this for a moment before silently agreeing.

Drawing more of his aura power, Ash redirected the link from Bulbasaur's emotional core and connected it directly to the Pokémon's mind. 'Ok, I'm ready,' Ash said.

'Alright,' Bulbasaur said, 'I need the memory of when I challenged you.'

'I can only lead you down the path, your memories are your own and I can only see them if you let me,' Ash explained. With that, they delved deeper into Bulbasaur's mind, heading towards his memory center. As they traveled, Bulbasaur began getting flashes of his memories, starting with his earliest.

Bulbasaur's life literally flashed before his eyes. Starting with his earliest memories of growing up on a breeding farm, then moving on to being captured and offered as a starter Pokémon. This lead to the different adventures he had with his first trainer. Almost without conscious thought, these memories began slowing down so that Bulbasaur could examine them closer. Now that he looked back, he realized that he could always detect a hint of malice and disappointment that always flashed across his trainer's face when he looked at him.

The memories continued slowing down until they stopped altogether, landing on a very specific and painful memory for Bulbasaur. Realizing that he would be unable to face this memory alone, he turned to the only person he could.

'I don't think I can do this alone,' he said to Ash, the pain in his mental voice clearly audible.

'Of course,' Ash said softly.

'Thank you,' Bulbasaur replied just as softly.

With Bulbasaur's permission, Ash was able to see the memory. The memory started playing, with Ash giving Bulbasaur silent support.

The memory was very unpleasant and shall not be spoken here.

By the end, Bulbasaur was in silent tears. The intense malice and disappointment that shone in his former trainer's eyes as he smashed his Pokéball under foot, was burned into the small Pokémon's mind.

"Bulbasaur?" a voice said, drawing Bulbasaur from deep within his mind. Opening his eyes, the first thing that Bulbasaur saw was a pair of human eyes, his new trainer's eyes, Ash's eyes. With the memory of his previous trainer still fresh in his mind, Bulbasaur quickly shut his eyes, fearing he would see the same look in Ash's eyes.

Ash saw Bulbasaur's reaction to him and instantly started rubbing his hand against the Pokémon's side and releasing positive and encouraging emotions through this aura. "Hey, don't worry about it, the past is past," Ash said to him, "I'm your trainer now, and I promise never to leave you just because you are weak."

Bulbasaur felt the petting and heard the words, but it was the pulse in Ash's aura, that promised nothing but unconditional love and acceptance, that he latched onto. Letting the aura flow through him, and fuse with his own, Bulbasaur slowly opened his eyes and met Ash's.

In that moment, Bulbasaur knew why he had challenged Ash in the first place. Looking into Ash's eyes, he saw nothing that his previous trainers eyes held, what he saw was exactly what he was feeling in his aura, pure and unconditional love and acceptance. In that moment, Bulbasaur trusted Ash with his life.

Ash felt the trust Bulbasaur was giving him and used it instantly, reconnecting the link to Bulbasaur's emotional core and diving in headfirst. Following the trail he had lain, Ash quickly found the emotional block he had discovered before and destroyed it with extreme prejudice.

Bulbasaur felt Ash's intrusion into his mind, but he did not let it bother him. Suddenly there was a flash of pain in his head, but it faded quickly and Ash withdrew from his mind.

"**What did you do?"** Bulbasaur asked once Ash had mostly left his head.

"I destroyed that emotional block you had," Ash replied, "I didn't realize that it would cause you any pain, sorry about that."

"**Don't worry about it,"** Bulbasaur waved it off, **"I've felt worse battling a Psychic Type."**

Ash nodded, then he realized something, "Wait, I can understand what your saying," Bulbasaur's jaw dropped, but Ash wasn't finished, "I shouldn't be able to understand you until I create an aura bond."

"**An aura bond?"** Bulbasaur asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I make an aura bond with all of the Pokémon I capture, right Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"**Yep,"** Pikachu confirmed as he suddenly appeared on Ash's shoulder.

"Pikachu, meet Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur, Pikachu," Ash introduced while gesturing between the two Pokémon. "And you've already met Pidgeotto," he said, gesturing to the tree above them where the Bird Pokémon was roosting.

"**Hi,"** she chirped.

"**Hi there,"** Pikachu greeted with a wave of his paw.

"**Hello,"** Bulbasaur returned to both of them.

While the Pokémon were talking, Ash was examining his Aura. After several seconds, he came back to himself with a slight gasp, drawing the attention of the Pokémon.

"**What's up?"** Pikachu asked.

"Somehow, an aura bond has already been formed between you and I, Bulbasaur," Ash explained.

"**What****,**** really?"** Pikachu said in surprise.

"**He's right,"** Bulbasaur said, his gaze far away as he concentrated on his own aura, **"I can feel the connection. At first I thought Ash was still in my head, but now I'm sure it's an aura bond."**

"**But how did this happen?"** Pidgeotto asked.

"I can only assume that it's a result of connecting my mind to Bulbasaur's mind and emotion core at the same type, mixed with everything we were feeling," Ash explained.

'Not that this isn't interesting,' Gyarados interrupted, 'but I'm pretty sure that Brock and Misty are waiting for that firewood.'

"Oh no, I completely forgot," Ash exclaimed. Quickly pulling out the Pokéballs for Pidgeotto and Bulbasaur, he pointed the first one above him, "Pidgeotto return," he said and she was absorbed back into the ball. He then pointed the other one at Bulbasaur, "Bulbasaur…"

"**Ash wait,"** Bulbasaur interrupted before Ash could return him. **"Let me help you carry all that wood,"** he said as he extended his vines.

Ash stared for a moment, uncomprehending, before it hit him what Bulbasaur meant. Smiling, Ash put the ball back on his belt and the two Pokémon and one trainer started collecting the wood that Pikachu had cut.

* * *

"Hey guys I'm back!" Ash called as he stumbled out of the woods, his arms laden with wood.

"Good," Brock said, "Now I can get this fire started and cook up some of my famous stew."

"What took you so long?" Misty asked while Ash dumped the wood he was carrying near the fire pit. Then she noticed the Pokémon that was following him, "Where did that Bulbasaur come from?"

Brock looked up from where he was setting up the wood for a fire, "Is he yours," he asked.

"Yeah, I just caught him while I was out collecting firewood," Ash explained, "He just came out of the bushes and challenged me, that's why I was so late."

"No harm done," Brock said, "Congrats on the capture."

"Thanks Brock," Ash said, "Hey that reminds me, I need to scan Bulbasaur with my Pokédex."

Ash quickly pulled his Pokédex from his pocket and pointed it at Bulbasaur.

**Bulbasaur the Seed Pokémon, it bears the seed of a plant on its back from birth. The seed slowly develops. Researchers are unsure whether to classify Bulbasaur as a plant or animal. Bulbasaur are extremely calm and are difficult to capture in the wild. This Bulbasaur is male and has the ability Overgrow. He knows the moves Tackle, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder, and Poison Powder.**

As Ash was putting his Pokédex away, Brock called that lunch was ready. Smiling, Ash released all of his Pokémon so that he could eat their fill, they had all come to love Brock's cooking.

Once lunch was over and Bulbasaur was introduced to the gym leader's famous cooking, said Pokémon asked Ash if they could go and visit Melanie so that he could say goodbye. Ash of course agreed and Bulbasaur led the three of them to the Hidden Village that he had been guarding for the past two years, making sure that they avoided all of the traps that had been set up to keep trainers out.

Since Ash had not told Brock about his aura training, he had to spend half an hour explaining his abilities to the Breeder. When he had finished, Brock was just as excited as Misty about learning how to use his own aura.

When they reached the Village, Melanie was shocked and surprised when Bulbasaur came running in, followed by three trainers, saying that he had been captured and he seemed excited about it.

Once Ash had explained the situation to her, she calmed down and said her goodbye to Bulbasaur. She was actually very pleased that Bulbasaur had found a trainer he could trust. She could tell that Ash would never abandon Bulbasaur like his previous trainer did.

After talking to Ash in private and thanking him for giving Bulbasaur a new life away from the Village, Melanie gave the trio a tour of the Village and explained what its purpose was.

"Wow Melanie, this place you have here is amazing," Brock gushed.

"Why thank you Brock," Melanie replied to the love struck breeder.

"Easy there Brock, don't make a fool of yourself," Misty said, grabbing Brock's ear.

The trio ended up spending the entire afternoon in the village, helping Melanie tend to the Pokémon. When Melanie wasn't watching, Ash would perform a Heal Pulse on the more severely injured Pokémon, but he couldn't do it too many times or he would drain his own energy. By they time they realized what time it was, the sun was beginning to set and Melanie offered for them to spend the night.

"That would be great," Misty exclaimed, "Thanks Melanie."

"Oh Melanie," Brock gushed, "Your incredible generosity is only eclipsed by your exquisite beauty. I would be delighted beyond belief to spend the night basking in your ACK!" Before Brock could say anymore, Misty came up behind and yanked his ear.

"And I would be delighted to spend the night with you tied to a rock," she stormed as she dragged the Pokémon Breeder's sorry ass away.

"Umm, wow," Ash said, completely nonplussed by what had just happened, Pikachu was giggling from his shoulder at Brock's antics, "anyway, thanks for letting us stay the night Melanie, would you mind if we let out our Pokémon?"

"Hmm? Oh sure," Melanie said, "The more the merrier."

"Great," Ash said as he reached for his four (Bulbasaur and Pikachu were already out) remaining Pokéballs and tossed them into the air, "Come on out everybody!" Out of the four balls burst his Riolu, Dratini, Pidgeotto, and Gyarados.

"Oh my!" Melanie said at the sight of Gyarados, fear evident in her voice.

"Don't worry about her," Ash said as he walked up and started petting Gyarados, "I swear she won't hurt anybody."

Melanie seemed to relax after that, but her aura told Ash that she was still apprehensive. Dratini provided the perfect distraction. Ever the curious dragon, he slithered right up to Melanie and started sniffing and nuzzling her leg. The moment she caught sight of the inquisitive Pokémon, her heart melted. "Oh my god, its adorable!" she gushed as she bent down to pick up the dragon.

While a giggling Melanie nuzzled a squealing Dratini, Ash introduced Bulbasaur to the rest of the team. Upon seeing Bulbasaur so comfortable around Gyarados, all of the other Pokémon came up and started to warm up to the large sea dragon as well.

Brock and Misty returned from whatever they were doing, from the chastised look on Brock's face (not to mention the lump on his forehead) and the triumphant one on Misty's it was pretty easy to tell, they released their Pokémon as well and started getting settled for the night.

An hour before bed, Ash and Riolu wordlessly stood up and walked off into the woods, leaving all of the rest of the Pokémon behind. Brock and Misty watched him go, but this was nothing new so they didn't comment.

Melanie also noticed and asked, "Where's Ash going?

"We don't know," Misty replied.

"He's been doing this for a couple of weeks now, but refuses to answer any questions," Brock added.

"We've talked about it and were pretty sure that they are doing some special training that they don't want us to know about," Misty explained.

* * *

They next morning, Melanie bayed them goodbye and made Ash promise that he would always take good care of Bulbasaur. After getting some directions, the trio were off, back on track for Vermillion City.

"Your doing great Riolu," Ash was saying one early morning as they worked their way back to camp, "I'm sure you'll have it perfected by the time we reach the gym."

"**They won't know what hit them,"** Riolu smirked.

It had been several days since Ash had capture Bulbasaur. He and his friends were traveling on Route 24, and according to Brock were scheduled to run into a Pokémon center fairly soon.

As usual, Ash was the first to waken and spent an hour or so meditating and centering his aura. Once he was finished, he and Riolu vanished into the surrounding woods for another hour to do whatever they do.

They were only five minutes away from camp when Ash felt it, a burst of pain and fear that reverberated through his aura.

Riolu must have felt it too, because, as one, both he and Ash whirled to face the same direction. Sparing a quick glance at each other, both knew what the other was thinking even without the aura bond. "Let's go," Ash said, and together, they raced into the foliage.

After five minutes of dodging trees and leaping over bushes, Ash and Riolu burst out into a clearing to a horrible sight. In the middle of a clearing stood a trainer. He had blue hair with sunglasses perched on his forehead. He wore a pink collared shirt with a leather vest and a red bandana around his neck. But that wasn't the horrifying part.

On the ground in front of the trainer, lay a Charmander. It looked horrible, there were cuts and bruises all over its body, it was sporting a black eye, and worst of all, its tail flame was incredibly small.

"…the most pathetic excuse for a Pokémon I have ever seen," the kid was yelling at the whimpering Charmander. "How can you even call yourself a fire type when you can't even beat a Bellsprout. That's it, from now on your dead to me."

Ash and Riolu watched in horror as the kid took out a Pokéball, dropped it, and smashed it underfoot. He then stalked off, leaving a broken and bleeding Charmander to fend for itself.

The moment the kid was out of site, Ash rushed in and examined the Charmander. "It's ok, your going to be alright," Ash soothed. He reached for his pack, only to start swearing as he realized that he had left it at camp.

'Pidgeotto!' Ash telepathed to his flying type. 'I need you to bring my backpack here.' Pidgeotto gave a mental nod and he switched to Pikachu, 'Pikachu, try to get Brock and Misty packed and ready to go, we need to get Charmander to the Pokémon Center as fast as possible.'

'Got it,' Pikachu replied.

Ash returned his attention to Charmander. It was eyeing him warily and whimpering in fear and pain. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you," Ash said, "I'm going to take you to the Pokémon Center and get you healed up."

Charmander seemed to relax a little but he was still in deep pain. Ash gently laid his hand on Charmander's side and used Heal Pulse. As the golden energy washed over the small Fire Type, Ash was pleased to see many of the minor injuries recede and his tail flame got slightly brighter. Unfortunately, a Heal Pulse can only do so much, especially with so many injuries, witch caused Ash to push a lot more energy than normal into the move.

"There now," Ash said tiredly, "How are you feeling?"

"Char," Charmander replied gratefully.

"That's good," Ash panted (even though he had no idea what Charmander said), he was feeling like he was about to pass out himself.

A small hand rested itself on Ash's shoulder. Looking over, Ash saw Riolu flash him a smile, before closing his eyes and the appendages on his head rose up, signaling that he was using aura like Ash had begun to teach him. Ash suddenly felt a surge of energy flow through him from the bond he shared with Riolu.

Ash smiled, "Thanks Riolu, that really helps," he said.

"**No problem,"** the Emanation Pokémon replied.

"**Ash!"** a voice cried from above.

Ash looked up to see Pidgeotto swooping down, his backpack gripped in her claws. She dropped the pack and Ash snatched it out of the air, immediately diving his hand in, searching for a Hyper Potion he had gotten for emergencies.

"Ok Charmander, this is going to sting, but it will make you feel better," Ash warned.

"Char," Charmander conceded with a nod.

Ash got to work, ripping off the one time use seal and spraying each of the multiple wounds. Charmander winced with each application, but kept from crying out. Ash felt a sting of pride at the little trooper.

Once Ash finished, he helped Charmander sit up, "You're doing great Charmander. I've healed most of the external wounds, but we still need to get you to a Pokémon center to make sure I haven't missed anything and restore your energy."

"Hey Ash, what's going on?" a familiar deep voice shouted from behind. Ash turned to see Brock and Misty running up behind Pikachu.

"Great timing Brock," Ash said, "We need to get this Charmander to a Pokémon Center right now, I can explain what happened on the way."

Brock knelt down to examine Charmander. He spotted the Hyper Potion and frowned. "I don't like these bruises on his chest. A Hyper Potion should have healed those instantly, unless there are internal injuries."

Ash sighed, "I was afraid of that."

"What are we going to do," Misty asked, "It would be too dangerous to move, and capturing him won't work because they still move in the Pokéballs."

"That's it!" Brock exclaimed. He turned to Ash, "Your team is full right," he asked.

"Yeah," Ash replied, uncertain as to why Brock was asking that of all questions.

"Great, when a trainer captures a seventh Pokémon it becomes locked in suspended animation." Brock explained, " If you capture Charmander as your seventh, then he will be safe until we get to the Pokémon center. Where a Nurse Joy can unlock the Pokéball for medical reasons."

"Brock that's brilliant," Misty said.

Ash turned to Charmander, "Is that Ok with you Charmander, do you want to join my journey?"

Charmander stared at Ash for a moment, before nodding, "Char."

"Awesome," Ash smiled, as he pulled out a fresh Pokéball and tapped Charmander on the head and he disappeared in a flash. The Pokéball dinged an instant capture and immediately shrunk down, the white button on the front turning red.

"Ok guys, lets go," Ash said as he shouldered his backpack.

* * *

It was nearly lunchtime when they made it to the Pokémon center.

"Nurse Joy!" Ash yelled as he ran into the Pokémon Center.

"Oh my, what is it?" Nurse Joy asked.

"I found this Charmander in the woods, its badly injured," Ash explained, holding up his locked Pokéball, "I've already used a Hyper Potion but he is still hurt."

"Oh dear," she said, grabbing the Pokéball. It instantly unlocked and grew back to full size as she grasped it, "Chansey, I need a stretcher for a medium sized Fire Type." She called and a large Pink Chansey was there a moment later, pushing a bed with fireproof lining.

Nurse Joy released Charmander onto the bed and gasped the moment she saw Charmander. Without wasting a second, she pushed the trolley into the surgery room and the needle symbol above the door lit up.

"Well," Ash said, "nothing to do but wait."

* * *

An hour later, a tired but pleased Nurse Joy came out of the operation room. Ash stood up the momemt he saw her and hurried over. "How's Charmander?"

"He's doing well," she replied, "he was in critical condition when you brought him in. You probably saved his life with the Hyper Potion and the suspended lock on the Pokéball. He will make a full recovery by tomorrow, but no battling for a week. Now, care to tell me how he came to be in that condition"

Ash took deep breath and nodded. He told her everything he saw the other trainer do to Charmander, which unfortunately wasn't much. When he finished, she gave a resigned sigh, surprising Ash.

"I was afraid of this," she said, "the trainer you described sounds a lot like Damian. You wouldn't believe how many stories I've heard about how he treats Pokémon, not to mention how many Pokémon with injuries similar to Charmander I've healed. Unfortunately, as Damian destroys his Pokéballs to release Pokémon, there is no proof that any of the Pokémon ever belongs to him so we can't press charges."

"That's just terrible!" Misty gasped.

"Isn't there something that can be done?" Brock asked.

"No," the nurse replied, "Without physical proof, Officer Jenny can't do a thing."

At the moment, Ash could care less what happened with this kid, he just wanted to see how Charmander was doing. "Nurse Joy?" he asked, "Is it all right if I see Charmander?"

"Sure," she agreed and let him to the recovering room Charmander was in, leaving Brock and Misty in the main room. "He's asleep and recovering but should wake up soon."

"Thanks Nurse Joy," Ash said as he took a seat next to the bed. She nodded and stepped out.

Ash sighed as he looked down at Charmander. He was covered in bandages; the largest of which covered a good portion of his chest. "Hey buddy," Ash said as he started petting Charmander. "How are you feeling?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

"Char," came a tired reply, slightly startling Ash.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were awake," Ash said.

The Pokémon gave another weak reply and Ash chuckled.

"I know I asked you before I captured you, but things were a bit hectic then so I thought I would ask again. Do you still want to be my Pokémon and join me on my journey to become a Pokémon Master?" Ash asked

Charmander gave Ash a surprised look, then nodded his head vigorously, then he slumped beck on the pillow, moaning as the pain suddenly caught up with him.

"Whoa, easy there Charmander, I get it," Ash said with a laugh, "Don't hurt yourself or Nurse Joy 'll ring my neck."

Charmander smiled at the thought and started giggling. Ash shook his head as he placed a hand on the giggling Fire Type's head and activated an aura link.

* * *

An hour later, Ash walked out of the recovery room, a troubled look on his face. Something his two friends immediately noticed.

"What's wrong Ash?" Misty asked once Ash walked up to them.

"I bonded with Charmander," Ash explained solemnly, "and we went over his memories of Damien." Here Ash gave a slight shudder, "That guy was inhuman. Charmander watched his guy beat so many Pokémon to within an inch of their lives, then he would destroy their Pokéballs and leave them to die, just because they lost a Pokémon battle."

To say that Brock and Misty were outraged was an understatement.

"How could anyone be so cruel?" Misty demanded.

"That's what i'd like to know, how come this guy hasn't been arrested yet?" Brock asked, "Its an international crime to abuse Pokémon in such a way."

"It's because he's so good at destroying the evidence," Ash spat, "According to Charmander, he doesn't have a professor keeping track of the Pokémon he carries and he keeps all of his Pokéballs with him."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Misty asked.

"Unfortunately no," Ash said, "We'de have to catch him in the act. I didn't see him lay a finger on Charmander with my own eyes and there is no law against releasing Pokémon, no matter what condition they are in."

"This guy had better pray that we don't run across him," Brock said angrily, punching a fist into the palm of his other hand.

"Get in line Brock," Ash said, "Charmander and I get the first hits."

"Deal," Brock said

"Hey, don't forget me!" Misty said, brandishing a large mallet.

Ash and Brock stared at her, wide-eyed. "Um Brock," Ash said out of the corner of his mouth, "where did she get that from?"

"I don't know Ash," the breeder replied, "But remind me never to get on her bad side."

"Only if you do the same for me," Ash agreed.

Misty rolled her eyes at them, but a smirk found its way to her face.

* * *

The next day, Ash sat at the PokémonCenter phone booths and dialed the number for Professor Oaks lab.

"Hello," the professor answered after three rings, "Ah, hello Ash, how are you doing?"

"Just great Professor," Ash replied, "I'm just calling to transfer over two of my Pokémon to the Ranch."

"All right then, just place the Pokéballs on the transporter," Oak instructed.

Ash did so and watched as the two red and white spheres were transported away.

"All right, I have them right here," the professor said once he recieved the teleport.

"Thanks professor, take care of them for me," Ash said as he signed off.

"Of course," Oak replied as he too signed off.

Ash closed his eyes and reached out with his aura, trailing the bonds he shared with all of his Pokémon until he reached to specific auras.

'_Can you two still hear me?" _he asked.

'_Yep, loud and clear,' _Pidgeotto replied.

'_I can also hear you,' _Gyarados said.

'_Good, keep up your training,'_ Ash said, _'you don't get to slack off just because I'm not there.'_

'_We will,' _came the collective reply.

Ash gave a mental nod and went to pick up Charmander.

* * *

An hour later, the three friends were walking out of the Pokémon center, intent on continueing their journey.

As they walked, Ash pulled out Charmander's Pokéball and his Pokédex and scanned it.

**Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. A flame burns on the tip of its tail from birth. It is said that a Charmander dies if its flame ever goes out. This Charmander is male and has the ability Blaze. He knows the moves Flamethrower, Scratch, and Smokescreen.**

"Wow, he must be a strong Charmander to know Flamethrower at this age," Brock commented.

"Yep and he's just going to keep getting stronger," Ash said with conviction.

* * *

In another dimension, a large figure watched as three children walked along a path in the far away Kanto Region.

"My plan is coming along perfectly," the figure said with a smirk.

* * *

**I know your probably really angry with me for letting Damian go so easily. Trust me, he will get his due, but the storyline must follow like this to keep with my plan. Believe me, you won't be ****disappointed**

**Please review, thanks so much**

**-Dragonwolf12**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys, finally I have chapter 4 up. I wan't to mention that I've decided to alter the telepathy to be in Italics so its easier to distinguish. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Alright Charmander, your doing great. Keep it up!' Ash stood in the center of a large clearing, surrounded by 5 Pokémon, all training to their limits.

Pikachu was in one part of the clearing, working on the speed of his Dig attack. One might compare him to a Sharpedo leaping through the waves. The entire area was littered with holes that you would be hard pressed not to step in one.

In another part of the clearing stood Riolu and Charmander, each working on a new attack by slashing at the boulders that riddled the area.

Charmander was working on his Metal Claw attack. The little Fire Type has the focus for the attack, but it took too long to build up the power especially since it wasn't even his type.

In the meantime, Riolu was working on a special attack that Ash was hoping to use against a certain gym leader.

Nearest to Ash were Dratini and Bulbasaur, having a mock battle with each other. They were also using the battle to perfect their newest moves; Dragon Breath and Mega Drain.

In a corner of Ash's mind, he observed as two other Pokémon, a Pidgeotto and a Gyarados went threw their own training. The Bird Pokémon would perform aerial maneuvers to increase her speed while Gyarados would work on land based battling so she could be more maneuverable on a rocky field like Brock's.

Ash gave a smile as he watched Charmander work. The Fire Type had only been on Ash's team for a week and he had taken to Ash's training like a Goldeen to water. In the past week alone, he had learned both Dragon Rage and Dragon Breath (Although Dragon Breath was still a bit shaky) and he had almost doubles his power output. In fact, he was working so hard that Ash was going to have to pull him back so he didn't overexert himself, or get a big head.

At breakfast that morning, Ash had declared this day a training only day. As Brock and Misty's training methods weren't nearly as hands on or intense as Ash's, the young trainer gave them something to train themselves. He taught them the basics of forming empathy links, which was the first step in forming aura bonds.

Ash smiled as he remembered when they tested for Brock's types.

-Flashback-

"Alright Brock," Ash said he had just pulled his aura book out and opened it to the correct page, "place your fingers on the paper."

Brock did so and they all watched as words began forming on the paper.

Normal  
Rock  
Grass  
Ground  
Steel  
Poison

"Five elements, that's one more than Misty," Ash stated, then he explained what each meant, "Almost everyone is a Normal Type. The Rock, Steel, Ground, and Grass Types together mean that you are sturdy and reliable while remaining firm in your beliefs. The Poison Type means that you have a major flaw in your personality that only shows under certain circumstances."

"This flaw can be brought under control with the help of meditation. The good news is that you are extremely resistant to Poison Type attacks," Ash finished happily.

-End Flashback-

Once Brock and Misty were busy trying to form empathy links with their Pokémon, Ash slipped away to get some training done.

* * *

Ash and his Pokémon had just finished eating a light lunch and were about to get back to training when all six of them froze, each sensing something out of place. Pikachu's ears started twitching, Ash and Riolu closed their eyes and stretched out with their auras, Bulbasaur was sniffing the air, and Dratini slithered around, ready to attack or defend.

'_Five Pokémon, all the same species,'_ Ash thought.

'_They're moving to surround us,'_ Riolu continued.

'_They smell like Water Types,'_ Bulbasaur added.

'_Sound like Squirtle,'_ Pikachu concluded, _'they're muttering about a prank.'_

'_Dratini, be ready with that new move of yours, Riolu, get ready to strengthen it if you have to,'_ Ash ordered.

After waiting for a minute, five consecutive Water Gun attacks erupted from around the clearing. Ash reacted just in time with a split second warning from his aura, "Protect!" he commanded.

Dratini leapt into action, forming a green barrier around the group. All five water attacks ricocheted off the barrier and disappeared into the sky.

Ash scanned the auras of the five Squirtles around him and frowned at what he saw. Deciding to do something about it, he shouted, "Is that the best you can do? I've seen a Magikarp fire a better Water gun. Come out and face us…unless you're scared."

"Squirtle!" A sharp voice said from behind Ash. Turning, he saw an angry Squirtle chattering at him, a pair of pointy sunglasses on his face. Around them four other Squirtles appeared each wearing a pair of round sunglasses.

Turning back to the first Squirtle, Ash asked his own Pokémon, _'What's he saying?'_

'_Something about how dare you insult the awesome and undefeated leader of the Squirtle Squad,'_ Bulbasaur translated, _'you want me to kick his ass? He needs to be knocked down a peg or three.'_

'_I agree, but it would be too easy for you Bulbasaur, I want Charmander to battle, it will humiliate him that much more to lose to a Fire Type,'_ Ash said with a smirk.

'_Do you really think I'm ready?'_ Charmander asked timidly.

'_Charmander, I know your ready,_' Ash replied with complete honesty.

"Ok Squirtle," Ash shouted, interrupting the Tiny Turtle Pokémon's tirade, "If you think you're so high and mighty, lets see you beat me in a battle. Charmander to the battlefront!"

The little Fire Type stepped up and faced Squirtle with a determined expression on his face. Squirtle took one look at Charmander and burst out laughing, followed by the rest of the Squirtle Squad.

Ash could sense the doubt creeping into Charmander and knew he had to act quickly. _'Don't let them get to you, they're underestimating you and that will be their downfall. I know you can beat him.'_

'_You can do it Charmander,'_ Pikachu said.

'_Beat that punk down,'_ Bulbasaur enthused.

'_We're all rooting for you,'_ Riolu encouraged.

'_Go Charmander!'_ Dratini cheered.

Charmander straightened with newfound confidence and stared down the laughing Squirtle.

"Since you're feeling so confident Squirtle, let's make a bet," Ash challenged, "If we win, I capture you and you join my team willingly. If you win, I'll give you all the food I have on me, and you get to prank us all you want and I won't fight back."

Ash's Pokémon smirked as they sensed the loopholes Ash left for himself.

Squirtle thought if over for a moment before agreeing. They moved to different sides of the field, Ash and his team on one side and the Squirtle Squad on the other. Charmander and Squirtle squared off against each other, right between their teams.

After a brief stare down, Squirtle started off the battle by firing a Water Gun at Charmander.

"Dodge!" Ash quickly commanded. Charmander leapt to his right and the Water Gun sailed harmlessly past him. "Flamethrower!" Charmander took a deep breath and exhaled a huge column of flames at the water type.

Squirtle gave a cocky laugh just before the Flamethrower hit him. Charmander kept the flames up for a full minute with no sign of Squirtle. He cut the attack with a cry of delight, Ash however narrowed his eyes. _'That was too easy,'_ he commented.

When the flames died away, Charmander expected to see a fried turtle. Instead he saw a mostly undamaged shell.

'_He used Withdraw to escape damage,'_ Bulbasaur commented, slightly impressed.

'_It would have worked too, if Charmander hadn't kept the attack up for so long,'_ Pikachu said.

As soon as the last of the flames disappeared, Squirtle started spinning at a quick rate. So fast that he lifted off the ground, and started rocketing towards Charmander.

"He's using Rapid Spin, quick Charmander counter with Metal Claw," Ash yelled.

Charmander leapt back to give himself an extra moment and began charging his Metal Claw. Before he could get full power, Squirtle slammed into him and he was thrown across the field.

Squirtle quickly stopped his attack and launched another Water Gun. The water slammed into Charmander before he could react. Charmander screamed in pain as he fell to the ground.

"Come on Charmander, don't give up now!" Ash encouraged, "Get up and use Dragon Breath!"

Charmander struggled to his feet and launched a blast of green flames at Squirtle.

Squirtle rolled his eyes and used withdraw again, defending himself from the dragon fire.

Ash saw an opening, _'Don't stop the attack,'_ he said telepathically, _'get in close and use scratch when he comes out of the shell.'_

Charmander nodded and slowly started walking forward while trying to keep up the attack. When he got three feet from Squirtle, Ash could see the strain Charmander was exerting in order to keep up the attack.

'_I'm pushing him too hard,'_ he thought to himself, _'I overestimated Charmander's stamina and now he's paying for it. Come on Charmander, you can do it!'_

Two feet away, Charmander finally cut the Dragon Breath attack and started charging a powerful Scratch attack. As the green flames washed away, Ash could see several burns on the shell and when Squirtle popped out, he winced slightly in pain.

Squirtle's eyes widened when he saw Charmander standing right in front of him, he could only watch as the Lizard Pokémon brought down his claws and slashed him across the chest. Squirtle went flying across the clearing from the blow.

Charmander was visibly panting as he wearily watched the cloud of dust that Squirtle had caused when he landed.

Suddenly, Squirtle erupted head first from the dust cloud, his head covered in a white aura of energy as he used Skull Bash.

"Oh no, Charmander get out of there!" Ash yelled in a slight panic.

Charmander tried to run out of the way, but he was still too weak from continuously using Dragon Breath like he did. The Skull Bash attack hit him square in the chest and he was sent flying across the clearing and smashed into a tree where he crumpled at its base.

"Charmander!" Ash yelled, "Are you ok?"

Charmander didn't respond, nor did he even move.

The Squirtle Squad started cheering and giving Ash and his Pokémon evil smirks, as if they were already planning a hundred pranks.

Ash however, noticed none of this, he had eyes only for Charmander's small form. 'Come on Charmander, I know you're still awake, you can do it!'

Hearing Ash's voice in his head, Charmander began struggling to stand back up. The Squirtle Squad noticed and stopped laughing, instead they were staring in shock.

"Your doing great Charmander," Ash encouraged, "just a little more."

Ash's team started cheering Charmander on, even Gyarados and Pidgeotto had stopped their training to watch the battle and cheer Charmander through Ash.

Charmander was on one leg, just about to stand fully when he stated faltering. Seeing this, Ash shouted, "Come on Charmander, just one more leg. You can do it, I believe in you!"

Hearing Ash's last words, Charmander summoned the last of his strength and stood up. He gave Ash a smile and a thumbs up before turning a glare on a still stunned Squirtle.

Ash gasped as he felt a sudden surge of energy erupt from Charmander's body. The Lizard Pokémon's entire body erupted in a fiery red aura. "That's Blaze!" Ash said in shock. He pulled out his Pokédex.

**Blaze, the special ability of the Charmander evolution line. Blaze will activate when the Pokémon's health is extremely low, however when blaze is activated all of its Fire Type moves will be exponentially more powerful.**

"Alright Charmander, lets finish his up quick, use Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.

Charmander nodded. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled an enormous column of flames that literally lit up the sky. Squirtle was so surprised by the size of the attack that he forgot to withdraw, taking the full brunt of the attack.

"Squirtle!" he shouted in pain as the flames washed over him.

As the flames died and the smoke cleared, it was to reveal a fully knocked out Tiny Turtle Pokémon.

Ash lobbed a Pokéball at Squirtle and he was absorbed into the ball. The ball rocked back and forth for several moments as Squirtle attempted to break free, but after the fifth rock, it dinged a successful capture.

"Awesome!" Ash shouted. Ignoring the shocked looks of the Squirtle Squad that their leader had been captured, Ash rushed out and gave Charmander a hug. "That was amazing Charmander, I'm really proud of you," he siad, letting the Lizard Pokémon feel all of this emotions through the bond.

Charmander smirked, letting Blaze die away. Suddenly, his body erupted with an intense bluish white light that radiated energy and his body started changing shape.

"H…he's evolving!" Ash said in absolute shock.

When the glow died, a new Pokémon was standing in Charmander's place. Ash pulled out his Pokédex.

**Charmeleon, the Flame Pokémon and the evolved form of Charmander. Charmeleon mercilessly destroys its foes using its sharp claws. If it encounters a strong foe, it turns aggressive. In this excited state, the flame at the tip of its tail flares with a bluish white color. Charmeleon has perfected the move Metal Claw and learned the move Fire Fang.**

"Charmander, I mean Charmeleon, that's amazing!" Ash said with excitement.

"**Of course it was, did you expect anything less?"** he answered. Ash chuckled but didn't answer.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from behind Ash, making him jump slightly. "That was very impressive young man," she said.

Ash turned to see a very familiar blue haired police officer staring him down. "Thank you Officer Jenny, but why were you watching my battle?"

"Oh, you see, I've been trying to catch this gang of miscreants for a long time," She explained, "I got a call that they were making trouble in this area and I came to investigate.

"I saw them attempt to prank you, nice reflexes by the way, and was about to step in and try to arrest them when I heard you challenge the leader. I decided to wait and see what happened. If you lost then hopefully I would have been able to intervene and if you won, then that's one less for me to arrest."

"I see," Ash said after a moments thought, "If I can make a suggestion, you could have them work community service as a punishment for all the problems they've caused. Perhaps the fire departement could use some extra water."

"Hm, that's not a bad idea, I'll think about it. In the mean time, perhaps you could assist me in apprehending the rest of them?" she asked.

"Sure" Ash agreed, "Pikachu, Thunderwave! Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder!"

The Squirtle, who were trying to sneak away suddenly panicked and tried to bolt. However they were to slow for Pikachu's Thunderwave and started tripping over themelves as the paralysis took hold. The next thing they knew, Bulbasaur's Sleep Powder fell over them and they were all out like a light.

"Well that makes things easy," Jenny said as she pulled out four Police Balls. These were special Pokéballs in that they could capture Pokémon that are already captured and the Pokéball is instantly transported to the Officer's headquarters.

Once she caught the four Squirtle, she gave Ash a salute and left. Ash picked up his Squirtle's Pokéball and turned to his team. "All right guys, lets get back to training while I introduce Squirtle. Charmeleon, I want you to have a practice battle with Pikachu to make sure that you are used to your new body and have all of your moves down pat. Dratini, work on your Agility with Riolu, lets see if we can get your Extreme Speed unlocked. Bulbasaur, work on the speed of your Mega Drain, I want to make sure you can do it in a split second."

The Pokémon nodded and got to work. Ash turned back to Squirtle's Pokéball and sighed, he was not going to be happy with what Ash did to the rest of the Squad.

He pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokéball.

**Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. Squirtle's shell is not merely used for protection. The shell's rounded shape and the grooves on its surface help minimize resistance in water, enabling this Pokémon to swim at high speeds. This Squirtle is male and has the ability Torrent. He knows the moves Water Gun, Skull Bash, Withdraw, and Rapid Spin. This Squirtle also possesses the egg move Water Spout but it has not been unlocked yet.**

* * *

"Hey guys," Ash greeted as he walked back into camp.

"Hey Ash," Brock replied.

"Ash guess what," Misty greeted, "I managed to link with Staryu! I could feel his emotions."

"That's great Misty, once you can connect to all of your Pokémon in a split second, I'll teach you the next step," Ash said.

Misty beamed.

"So Ash, how was your training day?" Brock asked, "Anything special happen?"

"Not really," Ash replied, "Well, Charmander evolved into a Charmeleon, I captured a Squirtle that was the head of a rogue gang of Pokémon, and I helped Officer Jenny capture the rest of the 'Squirtle Squad,'" Ash said using air quotes.

'Hey don't mock my gang!' Squirtle protested from in his ball.

Ash sighed, he had spent several hours, locked in an Aura link with Squirtle, trying to overcome his attitude, stubbornness, and anger at trainer's. He was even harder than Bulbasaur and Ash's treatment of the Squirtle Squad had not helped.

"So, how far away are we from Vermillion City?" Ash asked, shaking Brock and Misty out of their shocked silence.

"Do you ever have a normal day?" Misty asked.

"Define normal," Ash replied with a smirk.

Misty got a tick mark in anger, "Normal as in…_sigh_, you know what never mind, it's obvious that you don't understand the meaning of 'normal'."

Ash just smiled at her.

Before Misty could reply, Brock cut in, "We should be about two day's away from Vermillion."

"Great," Ash said, "Wait, I forgot to ask at the last Pokémon Center, do you know what type the gym is?"

"Hmm," Brock said, thinking, "If memory serves, the Vermillion Gym uses Electric Types."

"Got it," Ash said confidently, "We'll be ready."

* * *

"Finally, Vermillion City!" Ash said with excitement.

"Were finally here," Misty said, "I'm going to take a bubble bath the moment we hit the Pokémon Center."

"I need to hit the laundromat and replenish our stores at the Pokémart," Brock said, "It's a good thing you had that two day emergency stash in your backpack Ash or we would have run out of food long ago."

"Yeah," Ash agreed, suddenly very glad he had won that battle against Squirtle, "but I'm sure that our Pokémon could have found us enough berries to live off of until we got here."

By now, they had reached the Pokémon center. They were about to walk in when a kid came rushing by with a Rattata in a stretcher being pushed by a Chansey.

"I wonder what happened," Ash said as they walked in.

"Oh dear, that's the fifteenth one this month!" Nurse Joy exclaimed as the stretcher rushed past her.

Ash sweatdropped, it was only the fourth of the month. "Nurse Joy, what's going on?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh, it's the gym leader, Lt. Surge. He keeps beating his challengers to within an inch of their lives and refuses to back down whenever I confront him," she said angrily.

"Wow, what kind of Pokémon does he have that can do all of this?" Misty asked, gesturing at all of the injured Pokémon around.

"He has a Raichu," the nurse informed them, "Just last month, he found a Thunderstone and used it on his brand new Pikachu."

"A Raichu huh?" Ash said, he quickly pulled out his Pokédex and looked up Raichu.

**Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Pikachu. It can loose 100,000-volt bursts of electricity, instantly downing foes several times its size.**

Pikachu, who'd been watching the Pokédex over Ash's shoulder, perked up, **"A Raichu? Ash, he's mine!"** he said.

Ash gave Pikachu a startled look, _'Are you sure buddy?'_ he asked telepathically so that Nurse Joy wouldn't think him crazy. _'Raichu's are incredibly strong, the Pokédex says their Thunderbolts can get up to 100,000 volts.'_

'_With all the training you put me through, I know I can,'_ Pikachu replied confidently, _'and besides, what's my special ability?'_

Ash gave Pikachu a confused look before it dawned on him. A smirk grew on his face, _'Pikachu, you just may be on to something.'_

- Scene Break -

"That's the gym," Ash stated. The trio were standing in front of a large building that had a Lightinng Bolt symbol at the head.

They walked in to see several gym trainers milling around. All of them were wearing leather clothing like they were trying to be bad ass bikers.

Ash stepped forward, his body language practically oozing confidence, and loudly declared, "I challenge Lt. Surge to a gym battle for the Thunder Badge!"

The gym fell silent as everybody looked at Ash.

"Is that so?" a booming voice said from the back of the gym. Out of the shadows stepped a large man with spiky yellow hair cut military style and dog tags hanging around his neck.

Lt. Surge gazed at Ash, noticing his confidence, trying to decide whether or not he would be much of a challenge. That's until he zeroed in on Pikachu. He laughed, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, are you going you battle me with that Pikachu?" he asked.

Ash gave him a cool look, "That's the idea," he replied, "Why, do you think I shouldn't?"

Surge pulled out a Pokéball, "You tell me, go Pokéball." Out of the red and white sphere burst the Raichu that Nurse Joy had mentioned. The orange mouse's cheeks started sparking in challenge. Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder, and returned the gesture, completely unintimidated.

Ash raised an eyebrow at Surge, unimpressed, "Evolution doesn't decide a battle," he said.

Surge laughed again, "We'll see about that baby, I accept your challenge."

Ash bristled, "What did you call me?" he asked icily.

Surge waved his hand dismissively, "Ah, I call everyone I beat baby," he said as if it explained everything.

Ash glared at Surge, "You don't want to underestimate me," he said, his voice seeping with venom. Surge just shrugged and walked out towards the field.

Ash looked down at his starter and reached across the aura bond, _'Pikachu, this guy's pissing me off, time for a change of tactics.'_

Pikachu smiled as Ash layed out his plan.

* * *

"This is a one-on-one Pokémon battle between Gym Leader Lt. Surge and Challenger Ash of Pallet Town. The battle will be over when one side's Pokémon is unable to battle. The challenger has the first move, Ready Begin!"

"'Kay Pikachu, lets start this off with Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.

"**Got it!"** Pikachu replied. His body quickly erupted in electricity as he charged up his Thunderbolt, and fired it at Raichu.

Raichu however, just stood there and took the attack, not even twitching as all of the electricity flowed through him.

Lt. Surge, who was by now grinning like a loon, said, "Ok Raichu, time to show the babies a real Thunderbolt."

"Rai Rai!" Raichu confirmed. He instantly fired his own Thunderbolt attack, which was easily twice as powerful as Pikachu's.

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to dodge, and not even wanting to, Pikachu let the attack hit, just like Raichu did. And, like Raichu, Pikachu didn't even flinch as his body absorbed the electricity and converted it to energy.

Surge, who had started laughing when the attack hit, was now staring in shock at the completely unharmed Pikachu. "That's not possible, no puny Pikachu could take a fully powered Thunderbolt from Raichu unscathed."

Ash gave a calm chuckle, "I guess your Raichu just doesn't have the volts to beat Pikachu."

"Grrr, ok Raichu enough baby stuff, time to use Thunder!" Surge growled.

"Raichuuuuu!" The electric type shouted as he fired an enormous Thunder Attack.

"Quick Pikachu, use Dig!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu responded immediately, burrowing his way underground. However, before he could make it all the way under, the Thunder attack struck him in the tail, causing an explosion. After a moment, the dust and smoke cleared to reveal a smoking hole and no sign of Pikachu.

Surge was grinning again, "It's over kid. Nothing's ever survived a full power Thunder attack from Raichu and nothing will."

Ash stared back at Surge, "As a gym leader, you of all people should know that it's not over 'till it's over."

Suddenly the ground underneath Raichu started vibrating. Raichu looked down just in time to see Pikachu erupt from the earth and punch him in the face.

Ash smiled at Surge's look of complete shock, he was starting to understand that Ash was no ordinary challenger.

"Iron Tail!" Ash shouted. Pikachu's tail took on a metallic shine and he leapt into the air and performed a front flip, bringing his tail down on Raichu.

"Raichu, counter with Mega Punch!" Surge shouted. Raichu leapt towards Pikachu as his paw began glowing a bright metallic blue.

The two attacks met in midair, holding a stalemate. Eventually, the two competing energies reacted and exploded quite violently.

"Pika/Rai!" Both electric types shouted in pain as they were thrown back towards their trainer's. They hit the ground hard, and started struggling to get back up.

Unfortunately for Pikachu, Raichu made it back up first. "Alright Raichu, use Mega Kick!"

Raichu ran right up to the still struggling Pikachu and his foot began glowing a metallic light blue. He kicked Pikachu and sent the smaller mouse flying across the field.

"Pikachu! Are you alright?" Ash shouted, fear clenching his heart.

**"Barely,"** Pikachu responded as he struggled to his feet.

"I'll admit kid, that Pikachu's got more guts than any I've ever seen," Surge commented, "But its over. Raichu, use Thunderbolt."

Ash smirked as he heard that command; Surge was digging his grave deeper and deeper.

"Raichuuuuu," Raichu called as he unleashed his Thunderbolt at a struggling Pikachu. However, when the attack hit, Pikachu didn't cry out in pain, he didn't hit the ground and faint, he didn't even flinch as the electricity coursed through him. Instead, his head shot up and he leapt to his feet in a surge of energy.

"What?" Lt. Surge cried in shock, "but how, that's not possible."

"Oh, its very possible," Ash said, "you see, my Pikachu is no ordinary Pikachu. He has a special ability called Lightning Rod. This ability let's him absorb all electric attacks used then turn them into energy to boost his own special attack."

Surge's face went through a myriad of emotions. First shock, then confusion, then understanding, and finally fear.

"Pikachu, lets show them the true meaning of THUNDERBOLT!" he shouted at the end.

Pikachu leered at Raichu as his body became enveloped with the electricity of a charging Thunderbolt attack. Less than a second later, Pikachu let out a meaningless battle cry and unleashed his attack.

The battlefield erupted as the Thunderbolt ripped towards Raichu. Even to the untrained eye, Pikachu's Thunderbolt was easily three times as powerful as Raichu's Thunder.

Raichu's eye's widened to epic proportions as the Thunderbolt race towards himself. He instantly realized that he had neither the time nor the room to get out of the way so he steeled himself and let it come.

When the attack finally hit, the entire building shook because of the resulting explosion and the air became filled with dust. After a moment, someone turned on an air vent and cleared the air so the outcome could be seen.

To everyone's shock, Raichu was still standing in the exact same spot where he had been hit. He stared at Pikachu for several moments, before giving a nod of respect and collapsing in a dead faint.

"Raichu is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner and so the victory goes to Ash of Pallet Town!" the referee announced.

"Great job Pikachu!" Ash congratulated as he ran out to meet Pikachu.

Pikachu spun on the spot and leapt into Ash's arms, **"We did it, we won! I beat a Raichu!"**

"Yes you did Pikachu, I'm so proud of you," Ash said, hugging his starter.

Surge started at Ash and Pikachu for a moment before shaking his head in wonder. He returned his defeated Raichu and walked up to Ash. "You did great kid, I didn't stand a chance. Here, proof of winning at the Vermillion Gym," he held out a small badge shaped like a gold flower, "The Thunder Badge."

"Thank you Lt. Surge," Ash said as he took the badge, "That was a really fun battle."

"Hey kid you earned it," Surge said, slapping Ash hard on the back and earning a small glare.

Ash gave a parting bow and went to meet up with Brock and Misty.

"That was a great battle Ash," Misty complimented.

"Yeah, you had me worried there for a moment but I never expected Pikachu to have the Lightningrod ability," Brock said.

"Thanks you guys," Ash said, "lets go, I need to get Pikachu to the Pokémon center," Ash said.

* * *

"Ah hello Ash, how are you doing today?"

"I'm doing great Professor, how are you?" Ash asked. He was currently in the Pokémon center, talking to Professor Oak on the video phone.

"Just fine my boy, just fine. So where are you calling from," Oak asked.

"Vermillion City, I just got a thunder badge," Ash said, holding up his newest badge.

"Excellent job Ash, Lt. Surge isn't easy to beat. So what can I do for you today?" Oak asked.

"I want to exchange some Pokémon," Ash replied, "I want Gyarados and Pidgeotto back in exchange for Charmeleon, Bulbasaur and Dratini."

Oaks eyes practically bugged out, "Oh my, how in earth did you capture a Dratini? They're really rare."

"That's actually and interesting story Professor," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head, "You see, I actually got Dratini and a Riolu as eggs about a month before I started my journey. Someone sent them both to me in a package, but I don't know who."

"Well that certainly is interesting," Oak said, rubbing his chin in thought. "I've also noticed that both times that you called to trade in Pokémon that you leave an empty slot on your team, any reason why?"

"Oh well that's easy, whenever I catch a new Pokémon I want to make sure to spend some time bonding and training with it right away so that I'm always close to my Pokémon and to make sure that they are able to keep a specific training regiment while they're at your lab."

Oak looked at Ash in surprise, "Well that's certainly an interesting way to work with your Pokémon. In fact there are very few trainer's that approach training quite like you do. I might have something that will help you with your training."

"Hm, how long will you be staying in Vermillion City?" Oak asked.

Caught off guard, Ash took a moment before answering, "Well, I was planning to leave first thing tomorrow, why?"

"Hm, well that won't do," Oak said, ignoring Ash's question, "What's the next gym you're heading to?"

"Um, I think either the Celadon Gym or the Saffron Gym, hang on let me ask Brock," looking over his shoulder, Ash saw Brock getting dragged away by Misty. Apparently he had been trying to swoon Nurse Joy again.

Ash shook his head, "Hey Brock, what's the next gym were going to? Is it Saffron or Celadon?"

Brock mumbled something in between his moans of pain and complaints about his ear aching but Ash couldn't understand. He looked questioningly at Misty.

"He said the Saffron Gym," she translated.

"Thanks," Ash turned back to the screen, "The Saffron Gym."

"Very well, when you get to the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy should have a package there waiting for you," Oak said.

"Ok, but what is it?" Ash asked.

"Ah-uh, no spoiler's," Oak said, wagging his finger, "now give me a moment to go and get those Pokémon for you."

He walked off screen. Two minutes later he came back holding two Pokéballs and a slightly surprised look on his face. "Well that was unexpected," he said, "Both Gyarados and Pidgeotto were waiting at the front of my lab as if they knew you were getting them."

"Wow," Ash said, a (hopefully real) look of surprise on his face, "I guess they know me better than I thought."

Ash smirked internally, _'Were you guys listening?'_

'_Of course,'_ Gyarados and Pidgeotto replied in unison.

Ash shook his head as he put Charmeleon's, Bulbasaur's, and Dratini's Pokéballs on the transporter. Once the transfer was made, he turned back to Oak. "Ok I got them, thanks Professor Oak."

"Very well Ash, don't forget to look for my package once you get to Saffron City," Oak said, then signed off.

"**I wonder what the professor is sending you,"** Pikachu said.

"It could be almost anything," Ash said, "He isn't the worlds top most authority on Pokémon for nothing."

'_Maybe its another Pokémon egg,'_ Riolu suggested.

'_Hey Charmeleon, Bulbasaur, Dratini do you have any ideas?'_ Pidgeotto asked.

'_I don't know, the moment he signed off the weird guy let me out of the ball and started examining me and taking measurements,' _Dratini said, _'Its a little creepy.'_

'_Don't let it get to you Dratini, he's just curious about you,'_ Ash reassured, _'but don't be afraid to blast him with a Thunder Wave if he gets annoying.'_

Everybody laughed.

'_I can see a box on the table with your name on it, but its already been sealed up,'_ Charmeleon said.

'_Hm, oh well, I guess we'll just have to wait,'_ Ash sighed.

"What's up Ash?" Misty asked, having heard Ash's sigh.

"Oh nothing important, Professor Oak is just sending me a package but he won't tell me what it is," Ash explained.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and find out," Misty replied. Brock was still twitching on the ground, his ear much larger that it was supposed to be.

"Do you want to go and explore the city?" Ash asked.

"That sounds great," Misty said excitedly, "Let me just go and get my bag, keep an eye on Brock." She ran off to her room.

Ash glanced down at the older Breeder.

"Not one word," he moaned. Ash laughed.

* * *

"Wow, look at all of the cruise ships," Misty gushed. They were currently walking around Vermillion city's sea port.

"I would love to go on a sea cruise," Misty started day dreaming, "A long relaxing cruise, sunbathing on deck all day, all of the Water Pokémon that we'd see in the ocean."

"Yeah, its too bad we'd never be able to afford something like that," Brock said.

"Reality sure can be a bummer," Ash said with a sigh.

They were about to walk away when streamers of confetti exploded in their faces. Ash jumped about a foot in the air and he felt his aura flare in case he needed to defend himself. Pikachu's cheeks started sparking, but what they saw made them stop short.

Standing in front of Ash and his friends was a pair of...cheerleaders. Except they weren't cheerleaders, Ash's aura sense instantly told him that they were people he'd met before. It only took him a moment to recognize them, Jessie and James, the Team Rocket duo that had attacked the Pokémon center with their talking Meowth.

Now, seeing them standing in front of him, wearing sleeveless sweaters, a skirt and make up on (especially James), had Ash struck completely speechless. Pikachu, who had been following Ash's thought processes was similarly staring incredulously as they stared giggling like loons, try to talk like teenagers (seriously who says 'Radical' anymore?), shrieking "Coooool!", and giving them free tickets aboard the St. Anne.

After watching them go skipping away, Ash finally realized what had happened and looked at the tickets in his hand.

"Awesome, come on Ash, lets go!" Misty said.

"Wait…" Ash tried to stop them, but both Brock and Misty ran off in search of the St. Anne before Ash could say anything.

"Huh, I guess we won't have any choice. At least we'll be their to foil any scheme Team Rocket has," Ash said to himself, and by extension his Pokémon, as he ran off in pursuit of Brock and Misty.

When Ash finally caught up with his friends, Misty snatched the tickets out of his hands and waved them on board the St. Anne before he could utter a single protest. Resigning himself to his fate, Ash decided to enjoy himself while he could.

"Wow, this place is amazing," Misty said with glee.

"A Pokémon trainer's paradise," Brock agreed.

Ash looked around with interest, eyeing all of the different battles going on around him. In one field, he saw an Axew battling a Chinchou. Another field had a Dragonite head to head with a Gallade. There was even a water field with a Floatzel battling against a Goldeen.

"This must be an international ship," Ash said, "because I'm seeing Pokémon from all different regions."

"Hmm, could be, I hope we don't end up in Unova though," Brock said, "That would be a long trip."

After watching several different battles, and itching to get in a battle of his own, he ran up to a field where a kid with a Zangoose had just beat another with a Seviper.

"Alright who's next? I want a challenge this time," the Zangoose trainer called.

"I'll battle you," Ash said stepping up, "I'm Ash from Pallet Town."

"Jefferson," his opponent replied, "I'm from Lilycove City."

Ash nodded and pulled out a Pokéball, "Riolu, to the battlefront!" Ash called, releasing his fighting type.

"**I'm ready Ash,"** Riolu called, getting into a battle stance.

"Ill start things off," Jefferson said, "Zangoose use Slash!"

Zangoose's sharp claws grew sharper as they started glowing white. The Cat ferret Pokémon then leapt forward with incredible speed at Riolu.

Seeing no way for Riolu to dodge, Ash called, "Riolu, use Endure combined with Counter."

Riolu bent down on one knee and started focusing his energy to endure the attack. Then his body became outlined in red as Counter activated. Just in time as Zangoose's Slash attack came crashing down on the little Fighting type. The attack struck Riolu in the back, then instantly bounced back and struck Zangoose in the face.

"Zangoose," Jefferson shouted in worry, "are you alright?"

"Zang," Zangoose replied affirmative.

"Use Force Palm," Ash ordered. Riolu ran forward, his palm glowing brightly.

"Protect!" Jefferson ordered. A large green shield suddenly formed around Zangoose and Riolu's attack deflected off.

"Oh no," Ash said.

"Quick use X-Scissor," Jefferson ordered. Zangoose's claws started glowing a light blue color and he leapt at Riolu.

'_Endure,'_ Ash telepathed. Riolu quickly started focusing his energy to endure the attack. Zangoose brought his claws down in an X formation and struck Riolu. The Emanation Pokémon collapsed to the ground.

"Hah, that's it, this battles over," Jefferson cockily.

Ash's only response was "Force Palm!"

Zangoose suddenly felt a weight on his chest. He looked down in surprise to see Riolu staring at him, with a glowing white palm pressed against him. They stared at each other for a split second, before the Force Palm detonated and blasted Zangoose back.

"Finish it with Quick Attack!" Ash commanded. Riolu jetted towards Zangoose with a trail of white light and slammed into the stunned Normal Type, sending him flying against the nearest wall and into unconsciousness.

"Yes, we won Riolu!" Ash cheered as he ran out to hug his Pokémon.

After returning his Pokémon, Jefferson walked up to Ash, "That was a great battle Ash. I'm glad you beat me, I was getting to confident."

"No harm done," Ash said, shaking Jefferson's hand, "It was a great battle."

Ash walked back over to Brock and Misty.

"That was a great battle," Misty said.

"Yeah," Brock agreed, "Listen, I got a guide to all of the different facilities that they offer to trainer's on board."

Suddenly a voice sounded over the ships intercom, "Will all trainer's please converge in the main ballroom for the official ticket drawing."

"What's the ticket drawing?" Ash asked.

Brock opened his booklet and started skimming through the pages, "Here it is, it says here that once a month on the St. Anne, they draw 5 numbers that match some of the passenger's tickets. Each winner gets a special prize that's related to Pokémon in some way."

"That sounds awesome, lets go and check it out," Ash said.

* * *

"Alright Pokémon trainers, its time for the monthly ticket drawing," the announcer said, "My name is Jillian, some of you may know me as the Contest MC for the Unova Region."

Several of the trainers, obviously coordinators from Unova, started cheering.

"Contest?" Misty asked in confusion.

"It's a special Pokémon tournament where instead of battling on pure power, the trainers, called Coordinators, focus on the Pokémon's beauty and grace," Brock explained.

"Huh, sounds interesting," Misty said, "but I think I'll stick with traditional battling."

"You and me both Misty," Ash agreed.

"Ok trainers, are you ready?" Jillian asked. The crowd started cheering.

An assistant walked up to the stage and handed Jillian an envelope. She opened it and pulled out the letter.

"Alright, our fifth place prize winner is…Jefferson of Lilycove City!"

The crowd started clapping as Jefferson went up to the stage.

"Hey Ash, isn't that the trainer that you just battled?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, good for him," Ash replied.

"Our fourth place winner is…Steven from Nimbasa City!"

The crowd cheered again as Steven walked up to the stage.

"Our third place winner is…Brock from Pewter City!"

The crowd started cheering again, Brock meanwhile was standing there speechless.

"Great job Brock," Ash said.

"Yeah, congratulations," Misty said.

Ash gave Brock a little push in the back, "Get up there, they're waiting." This got Brock into action, he walked up to the stage and stood in line with the other winners.

"Our second place winner is…Misty from Cerulean City!"

Ash's eyes narrowed ever so slightly in suspicion, "Congrats Misty," he said.

"Thanks," she said, "weird coincidence though, right?"

"Yeah, weird," Ash agreed. Misty shrugged and went up to the Stage to stand next to Brock. Ash she walked, Ash started sweeping the room with his aura, wondering if anything was up.

He could easily sense all of the Team Rocket goons, but they didn't seem to be the cause of this.

"And, finally, our first place winner, and grand prize winner is…Ash of Pallet Town!"

Ash's eye's narrowed even more, without moving a muscle; Ash extended his aura to its furthest reaches, searching. Suddenly, he felt it, an infinitesimally small and yet extremely powerful presence at the very edge of his senses. The moment Ash's felt it, the presence twitched then vanished.

'_Well that's odd,'_ he thought as he came back to himself. Realizing that everyone was waiting for him, Ash hurried up to stand next to Misty. She gave him a smile and whispered, "Who'd of thought that the three of us would be the winners, huh."

"Alright, now that all of our winner's have been chosen, its time to give them their prizes!" Jillian announced.

Another assistant walked onto the stage and presented Jillian with a flat box with a Pokéball symbol on it.

She walked up to Jefferson, "As our fifth place winner, your prize is…" She opened the box and presented it to Jefferson, inside were a set of seven feathers in a display case, "A full set of Wings! Congratulations!"

"Thank you very much!" Jefferson said, he took the box and left the stage.

The assistant walked back onto the stage, this time with two boxes, "For our fourth place winner, we have…a complete set of Vitamins and one dozen bottles of Moomoo Milk!"

"Thank you," Steven said with a bow. He took the boxes and left the stage.

Jillian then walked up to Brock with three boxes in tow, "For our third place winner, we have…a complete set of Pokémon grooming brushes, a full Pokémon first aid kit, and a portable rejuvenator machine!"

Brock was slack jawed by the time Jillian was finished. After a minute of staring at the boxes in shock, he finally realized that everyone was staring at him and that he was holding things up. After stammering a quick apology and thanks, he gathered up the boxes and fled the stage.

Misty giggled and Ash smirked in mutual amusement at their friend's antics.

Jillian then walked up to Misty, "For our second place winner, we have…a set of five lure balls, a brand new Super Rod, a set of 5 random evolution items, and a mystery Pokémon!"

"Oh wow, thank you!" Misty had gone starry eyed as they gave her the three boxes and a closed Pokéball.

"Well Misty, would you like to open the Pokéball now and show the audience, or wait till later?" Jillian asked.

"Hmm, I'll open it now," Misty said. She put down the boxes and tossed the Pokéball in the air, "Go Pokémon!"

With a flash of bluish white light, a small brown Pokémon appeared on the stage, "Eevui!" it said.

Misty stared at the Pokémon in shock for a full thirty seconds before the dam broke. "Oh, my Arceus, it is sooo cute!" she squealed. This set off a chain reaction, every girl in the room started squealing and cooing over how cute Eevee was.

After five minutes of cuddling and babying Eevee, Misty finally recalled it to its Pokéball and left the stage to be mobbed by a gang of girls, all begging to hold Eevee.

Ash smirked at the display before turning his attention back to Jillian.

"And now for our final first place winner, we have…a full set of all types of Pokéballs, an entire set of Pokémon evolution Items, a Pokémon egg, a mystery Pokémon, and one single Masterball!"

Ash jerked his head up in surprise, _'A Masterball?'_ he thought in shock.

'_And another egg,'_ Riolu said in excitement.

'_I wonder what our mystery Pokémon is,'_ Bulbasaur said in curiosity.

'_Could it be an Eevee like Misty got?'_ Dratini suggested.

'_I doubt we'd get the same thing,'_ Squirtle said.

'_Lets just find out,'_ Ash said.

He took the sealed Pokéball from the top of the pile of boxes and tossed it in the air, "Go Pokémon."

With a flash of bright blue light, Ash's new Pokémon appeared on the stage. Ash and the entire crowd gasped in surprise when they saw it.

"No way," Ash said to himself, completely surprised.

* * *

**I'm sorry for the cliff hanger, but just hear me out.**

**I have absolutely no clue what two new Pokémon Ash should get right now so I've set up a poll on my profile for you guys to decide. If you want you can also pm me or leave your suggestion in a review. Thanks**

**Review's are always appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay, I'm so proud of myself for updating so soon. Thank you to everyone who voted on the poll, it was really helpfull. Anyway, heres the next chapter.**

* * *

Ash sat in his cabin on board the St. Anne cruise liner, going over the day's events. It had been quite a hectic day, first was the battle against Lt. Surge, then being given tickets aboard the Pokémon trainer's ship, The St. Anne, and finally winning the Grand prize for the monthly ticket drawing.

That last part was what filled Ash's mind up the most. He was now the proud owner of a complete set of Pokéballs, from a typical Pokéball to an Ultra ball to the rarely used Duskball, a complete set of evolutionary items, a brand new and ultra rare Pokémon (he had bonded with him already), yet another Pokémon egg, and lastly the ultimate prize for any trainer. The one thing that all trainer's wish they could have, the ultimate trainer's tool, the ever coveted Masterball!

While Ash was extremely grateful and still a little overwhelmed over his prizes, that wasn't what mainly occupied the Aura Guardian in training's thoughts. While he could have accepted that he would win the grand prize, what made him suspicious was that both Misty and Brock won the second and third prize respectively for the drawing.

'_This just doesn't add up,' _Ash thought furiously to himself, _'how could all three of us win the same drawing out of the hundreds of trainer's on board.'_

'_I also noticed something,' _Bulbasaur said, _'It seems that each of your prizes match the kind of trainer and person you are.'_

'_Oh yeah,' _Dratini said,_ 'Brock got a set of grooming brushes which would be useful to him as a breeder, a first aid kit which is good since he has the most experience healing, and a rejuvenator thingy…what is that anyway?'_

'_A rejuvenator is what Nurse Joy uses to restore a Pokémon's energy and cure status conditions, but its useless if the Pokémon has any serious physical injuries like a broken bone,' _Ash explained, _'Brock's is a one time use item that needs to be recharged after each use. It's good to have in an emergency if there's no Pokémon center anywhere close.'_

'_Misty got herself a new fishing rod and a set of Lureballs which work best when fishing,' _Squirtle said, _'That's perfect for a Water Type trainer like her.'_

'_Wow, that sounded almost intelligent,' _Gyarados muttered.

'_See, I can be intellamagent when I want to,'_ Squirtle replied quite smugly.

'_Enough, you two,'_ Ash said, _'Who wants to bet that Misty got a Water Stone and uses it on her Eevee?'_

'_I hope she talks to it before hand,' _Bulbasaur said.

'_Don't worry Bulbasaur,' _Ash said, _'I'm sure she'll ask first.'_

Bulbasaur seemed to accept that.

'_What was that presence you felt just before going on stage?' _Riolu asked.

Ash gave a sigh, right after being called on stage, he had stretched his Aura to the maximum range and felt a pinprick presence right as it vanished.

'_I have no idea,'_ Ash said, _'I only felt it for a second and it was really tiny, but at the same time it was immensely old and powerful. I'd hate to run into it in a dark alley.'_

Before anyone could respond there was a knock on his cabin door. Ash looked up in surprise, now sensing a familiar presence on the other side of the wood. He stood up and went to open the door, silently berating himself for not being more aware.

Ash opened the door and smiled, "Hi Misty, what's up?"

"Hi Ash," she greeted back, "I was wondering if I could ask a favor?"

Ash looked at her for a second, "No you can't borrow my Pokédex, but I'll scan Vaporeon for you if you let me watch it evolve."

Misty stared at him in shock, "How did you know what I was going to ask?"

Ash shrugged, "It was a simple guess. You're a Water Type trainer, you just got an Eevee and probably a water stone in that evolution pack, you don't have any way to scan the moves it will learn upon evolution so you came to me to borrow my Pokédex."

Misty shook her head in bewilderment, and then her brain finally registered the answer to her unasked question. "Of course you can watch, I don't mind. Can we do it here?"

Ash nodded and let her into his cabin. She put her bag down and took out a blue stone with bubbles inside of it and her newest Pokéball. Ash pulled out his Pokédex.

"Ok Eevee, come on out," Misty said, releasing her Eevee.

Misty knelt down and began talking to her new Pokémon about what she was about to do while Ash scanned it in curiosity.

**Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. Eevee is a unique Pokémon that can adapt to its environment by changing its form and abilities when evolving. This Eevee is Female and has the ability Adaptability. She knows the moves Helping Hand, Tackle, Quick Attack, and Bite.**

Misty, who had finished talking to Eevee listened as the Pokédex listed Eevee's attacks. Once it was finished, she turned to the patient Evolution Pokémon and smiled, "Those are some good attacks Eevee, now are you ready to evolve?"

"Eevui!" The little Pokémon said with excitement, eager to please her new trainer.

"Ok, here you go," Misty placed the Water Stone on the ground in front of Eevee. Wasting no time, the Evolution Pokémon placed one paw on the stone and instantly started glowing a bright bluish white light and started changing shape.

When the glow died, a new Pokémon stood in Eevee's place. Ash quickly scanned it.

**Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon, and an evolved form of Eevee. The composition of its cells is similar to molecules of water, and as such, can melt in water. Upon evolution, Vaporeon gained the ability Water Absorb and learned the moves Water Gun, Aqua Ring, and Acid Armor.**

"Those are some excellent moves Vaporeon," Misty said, smiling.

"Va Vaporeon!" Vaporeon replied.

"Thanks Ash," Misty said. She and Vaporeon left the cabin and Ash started getting ready for bed.

* * *

-Dream Sequence-

Ash was floating above the massive dining hall on board the St. Anne. Looking down, he could see hundreds of trainer's milling around or eating.

'_What's going on?' _Riolu asked.

Ash snapped his head up and saw that all of his Pokémon were floating with him. They were all transparent, as if they were ghosts, and looking just as confused as he was feeling.

'_I think were dreaming,' _Ash replied.

'_Hey where's the new guy?'_ Bulbasaur asked.

'_I don't know, I don't see him,' _Ash said, looking around.

'_I'm over here,'_ a voice said right behind Ash. He turned around to see his newest Pokémon floating just behind him, transparent like the rest of them.

But before he could say anything, Gyarados interrupted, _'Why do I see you down there, eating like a hog at one of the tables?'_

Ash's head snapped down towards the ground. He stared in shock at seeing himself, acting exactly the way he did a year ago, before getting the aura book.

'_What is going on, I haven't acted like that for months,'_ Ash wondered in shock.

No one had an answer for him.

They watched as the other Ash was tricked into trading away his Butterfree for a Raticate.

'_I don't have a Butterfree, what is this?'_ Ash said in incredulity.

Then Team Rocket decided to attack, sucking up Pokéballs. Ash himself was the first to start fighting back and he urged the other trainers into action. Once all of the trainer's were battling back, it quickly became a slaughter fest for the Rocket grunts.

Ghost Ash snorted in amusement as a combo ThunderShock from all of the Pikachu's on board sends Team Rocket flying. The next thing they knew, a massive storm started rocking against the boat. All of the passenger's evacuated except for Ash, who had performed a retrade to get the Butterfree back, then idiotically dropped the Pokéball, Brock and Misty who were following Ash, and the Team Rocket trio.

After a particularly aggressive wave hit the ship, Ash and his friends all ended up knocked out and the St. Anne capsized.

The seen around ghost Ash and his Pokémon faded away, leaving them confused and annoyed. Ash himself couldn't believe how idiotic he was acting. It was as if he has never spent the past year working with Professor Oak and learning about his aura.

'_What. The. Hell!'_ Ash said.

Suddenly, the space around Ash and his Pokémon was fill with intense bright light; it was as if a thousand Chinchou decided to overpower their flash attacks all at once.

'_Ash Ketchum!'_ a distinctly female voice suddenly boomed in all of their heads.

Ash gasped, that voice was familiar, _'Ho-Oh?'_ he asked uncertainly.

The light died away to reveal the magnificent Legendary Pokémon, floating in front of them. _'Yes,'_ she replied, _'what you have just witnessed was one possible path in your future. This would have been your future had steps not been taken.'_

'_Steps?' _Ash interrupted, _'What do you mean steps?'_

'_You and your friends did manage to escape with your lives,'_ Ho-Oh continued as if Ash hadn't said anything, _'However, five humans and over two dozen Pokémon lost their lives because they were trapped on board. When this ship sinks, and it will sink, you must ensure that everyone makes it off alive. Good Luck.'_

Before Ash could make any kind of response, everything went black.

-End Dream Sequence-

Ash sat bolt upright in his bed, panting hard. "What…was that?" he demanded.

Pikachu, who'd been sleeping near Ash's head and had awoken in the same fashion as his trainer, looked at him, **"It was a dream message from a Legendary Pokémon."**

Ash turned to his Pokémon, "You had that dream too?" he asked in surprised.

'_We all did,' _Charmeleon said.

Ash took a deep breath and looked at his clock. '6:27' it read. Ash frowned at the clock, but got up anyway and went to take a shower.

Once he was showered and dressed, Pikachu leapt on his shoulder and they went for a walk.

"Hey you," someone said, after Ash had been exploring the deck for half an hour, "You're Ash right?"

Ash turned around to see Steven, the fourth place winner, standing right behind him. "Yeah, and your Steven right? Congratulations on the win."

Steven nodded, "Thanks, and the same to you. Hey listen, would you mind having a battle with me using that new Pokémon of yours?"

Ash shrugged, "Sure, why not? He could use some battle experience anyway."

Steven smiled, "Great, there's a battlefield just around the corner."

Ash nodded and followed Steven to the battlefield. As they walked, Ash pulled out his newest Pokéball and his Pokédex.

Ash activated the Pokéball scan function and passed it over the red and white sphere in his hand.

**Gible, the Land Shark Pokémon. Gible once lived in the tropics, and to avoid cold it lives in caves warmed by geothermal heat. This Gible is male and has the ability Sand Veil. He knows the moves Dragon Rage, Sandstorm, Dig, and Take Down. This Gible also possesses the egg move Outrage, but it has not been unlocked yet. Note, the unusual coloration of this Pokémon suggests that it is a Shiny Pokémon.**

Ash nodded to himself, planning a strategy. When they arrived at the battlefield, Ash took his spot in the green trainer's box while Steven claimed the other box.

"What are the rules?" Ash asked.

Steven took out a Pokéball with a grin, "One Pokémon each, no substitutions. The battle will be over when either of the Pokémon is unable to battle."

"Agreed," Ash said, "Gible to the battlefront!"

With a shower of sparkles, Ash's newly acquired Shiny Gible appeared on the battlefield, ready to fight.

Steven smirked as he tossed his own Pokéball. "Servine, time to battle!" With a shower of Sparkles identical to Gible, a blue and white Grass Type Pokémon appeared on the field.

Ash quickly scanned his opponent.

**Servine, the Grass Snake Pokémon, and the evolved form of Snivy. Servine whips its opponents with its vines, and dodges their attacks by hiding in the shadows of thick foliage. Note, the unusual coloration of this Pokémon suggests that it is a shiny Pokémon.**

"Is that your starter?" Ash asked across the field.

"Sure is, and Servine is my strongest!" Steven replied.

"Then lets get this show started, Gible start out with Dig!" Ash called.

Gible acted instantly, and within seconds was fully underground. He quickly started burrowing towards Servine.

"Servine, when he comes up, leap into the air and use Leaf Blade," Steven ordered.

Servine nodded and prepared itself. As soon as the ground below it started to shake, Servine leapt into the air barely a second before Gible erupted from the earth. His tail started glowing bright green and he did a front flip to bring his tail down on Gible.

Gible was looking around in confusion, unsure of what happened until Ash shouted, "Gible, above you!"

Gible looked up just in time to see a powerful Leaf Blade come slicing down on his head.

"Gible!" Ash shouted helplessly as he watched his Pokémon get launched across the field. "Quick, use Sandstorm," Ash ordered, once Gible had landed.

The Land Shark Pokémon leapt to his feet and quickly whipped up a sandstorm that covered the field, making it much more difficult to see.

"Servine, use Energy Ball," Steven shouted above the roaring of the sandstorm.

Servine nodded and opened its mouth. A green orb of energy started growing in front of Servine's mouth, and then he fired it at Gible.

"Dodge it!" Ash ordered. Aided by his Sand Veil ability, Gible leapt out of the way of the coming Energy Ball. "Now Gible, use Dragon Rage!"

A blue orb of blue energy appeared at Gible's core as he charged up the Dragon Rage. He opened his mouth and fired a large wave of blue and black energy into the air. At its zenith, the energy reshaped itself into that of a dragon and launched itself at Servine.

"Get out of the way Servine!" Steven shouted. Due to its species incredible speed, Servine was able to leap out of the way of the incoming Dragon Rage attack. "Great job Servine, now use Leaf Tornado to get rid of this sandstorm."

Servine balanced himself on this nose, so that his tail was high up in the air, and started spinning at a high speed. A green tornado of leaves quickly formed around Servine's tail, growing larger and absorbing the sandstorm.

"Quick Gible, use Take Down while its distracted," Ash ordered.

Gible ran forward towards Servine as a golden glow enveloped its body, intent on slamming into the Grass Snake Pokémon.

Steven smirked, "Alright Servine, bring it down right on Gible."

Servine tilted in its spin, bringing the entire tornado crashing down on Gible. An explosion shook the field as a storm of sand, leaves and wind slammed into the Land Shark Pokémon. Once the dust cleared away, Gible was revealed to be unconscious.

"Oh man, Gible," Ash ran out to the field to check on his Pokémon.

"**Sorry I lost Ash,"** Gible said.

"Don't worry about it Gible, you did really great," Ash said. He returned Gible to his Pokéball and stood up. "That was a great battle," he said to Steven, who had already returned his Servine and walked up.

"Thanks, that Dragon Rage was really powerful. Lets have another battle next time we meet," Steven returned.

"Count on it," Ash said. They shook hands and Steven walked away.

Ash was about to go look for Brock and Misty when a voice announced over the intercom, "Will trainer Ash of Pallet Town please report to water field 14, you have been issued an official challenge."

Ash blinked when he heard that, _'Who would be challenging me?' _he asked.

"**No clue,"** Pikachu said from his shoulder, **"Lets go find out."**

* * *

After wandering around for fifteen minutes and finally asking for directions, Ash arrived at the battlefield. He looked over at his opponent and froze in shock.

"Misty?" he asked incredulously.

She giggled, "Yep, I figured that this would be the perfect place to hold our Gym battle. We can even have an official judge."

Ash stared at her for another few seconds as his brain caught up with reality. Then a grin broke across his face, "Great, I've been wanting to have this battle. But first, I need to go and make a transfer."

Misty nodded and Ash ran off in search of a Video Phone he could use.

* * *

Ash and Misty stood in opposite trainer's boxes, ready to battle. The news that a gym battle was going to take place on board had spread fairly quickly throughout the ship. As a result, there was a very large audience, anxious to watch a great battle.

"This is a shall be a three on three battle between challenger Ash of Pallet town and Gym Leader Misty of the Cerulean City Gym," the judge announced, "This battle shall be over when all three Pokémon on one side are announced unable to continue, furthermore, only the challenger shall be aloud to make substitutions. Trainer's release your Pokémon!"

"Staryu lets go!" Misty shouted, releasing her first Pokémon onto one of the many floating platforms exclusive to a water field.

"Bulbasaur, to the battlefront!" Ash released his Grass/Poison Type onto a platform of his own.

"The challenger has the first move, battle begin!"

"Bulbasaur, start out with poison powder," Ash ordered. Bulbasaur crouch down slightly so that his bulb was pointing at Staryu and started spewing a cloud of poisonous spores.

"Staryu, quickly dive into the water!" Misty countered. Staryu leapt from the platform it was standing on and started swimming quickly around the pool. "Now Tackle it," Misty ordered.

Staryu leapt out of the water right in front of Bulbasaur and smashed into him.

"Quick Bulbasaur, Vine Whip while its close!" Ash shouted. Bulbasaur quickly extended its vines and wrapped them around Staryu. "Use Mega Drain then toss it back into the water."

"**You got it," **Bulbasaur replied. His vines started glowing green and began to absorb energy from Staryu. After a few moments, the glow faded and Bulbasaur tossed Staryu back towards its platform.

"Grrr," Misty growled, "Staryu, use Double Edge!" she shouted. Staryu started spinning and rocketed towards Bulbasaur, a golden glow surrounding itself.

"Counter it with Razor Leaf!" Ash shouted. Bulbasaur immediately started firing multiple spinning leaves at the incoming Staryu. With each impact, Staryu slowed down slightly, but it wasn't enough to stop it and it slammed into Bulbasaur causing an explosion.

Once the smoke cleared it was to reveal a heavily damaged Bulbasaur and a knocked out Staryu.

"Staryu is unable to battle, Bulbasaur wins," the judge announced.

"Staryu, return," Misty recalled her fallen Pokémon, "You did a great job." She switched her Pokémon and looked over at Ash, "You're doing just as well as I expected you to Ash, but lets see how you handle this Pokémon. Starmie lets go!" With a flash, the Mysterious Pokémon appeared on the field.

"Hmm, Starmie," Ash muttered to himself, "Bulbasaur took some heavy damage from that last attack, Bulbasaur, use Mega Drain!"

"**Okay,"** Bulbasaur said. The Seed Pokémon extended his vines and they shot towards Starmie.

"Don't let it grab you Starmie," Misty ordered, "Use Rapid Spin!"

Starmie started spinning quickly in place in order to prevent Bulbasaur's vines from wrapping around it. He then rocketed forward and crashed into Bulbasaur.

"Use Razor Leaf!" Ash shouted.

Bulbasaur launched a horde of spinning leaves at Starmie.

"Counter it with Power Gem!" Misty yelled.

Starmie's gem flashed briefly as several glowing stones materialized in from of the Pokémon. Starmie then launched them at the incoming Razor Leaf. The two attacks met in the center of the field and exploded.

"Use Water Gun!" Misty ordered.

Starmie shot a powerful stream of water from its top appendage and hit Bulbasaur right in the face, causing an explosion

"Bulbasaur!" Ash shouted in worry, knowing that his Pokémon had been knocked out.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle, Starmie wins!" the judge announced.

"Bulbasaur return," Ash said, recalling his grass type, "You did incredible, thank you for an excellent job." Ash then switched his Pokéballs, "Squirtle, to the battlefront!"

"**I'm ready for anything!"** Squirtle said cockily.

Ash rolled his eyes, "Ok Squirtle, start off with Water Gun."

"**You got it,"** he said. He took a deep breath and fired a powerful jet of water at Starmie.

"Starmie, use Harden. Then jump into the water and use Rapid Spin attack," Misty said.

Starmie visibly tensed as a flash of white overcame its body. The Water Gun hit and just bounced off. Starmie leapt into the water and started spinning around.

"Follow it into the water and use Skull Bash," Ash said. Squirtle nodded and leapt into the water. He then shot off like a bullet towards the spinning Mysterious Pokémon, his body surrounded by white energy and an impressive energy trail behind him.

The two attacks met at the center of the pool and held each other in a stalemate for a few seconds. After a moment, Squirtle's attack won and Starmie was sent flying across the pool.

"Now follow up with Bite!" Ash shouted. Squirtle zoomed forwards towards the slightly dazed Starmie and bit down on one of its arms. Starmie screamed in pain as the super effective attack hit him

"Ah, Starmie," Misty shouted, "Shake him off with Rapid Spin, then follow up with Swift!"

"Hiya," Starmie replied. It started spinning rapidly in the water and Squirtle was shaken loose. It then unleashed a barrage of glowing stars from its gem at the dizzy Squirtle. The Swift attack impacted and Squirtle was launched out of the pool, followed closely by Starmie.

"Squirtle, quickly use Skull Bash!" Ash shouted. Unfortunately, Squirtle was too dizzy to comprehend anything and simply stood there with Starmie towering over him.

"Now Starmie, end this with Power Gem!" Misty ordered with a grin.

Starmie's gem flashed as multiple glowing stoned materialized directly in front of the gem. Starmie launched them at Squirtle, successfully knocking him out.

"Squirtle is unable to battle, Starmie wins," the judge announced.

"Squirtle return," Ash said. He recalled Squirtle to his ball and switched his Pokémon after a whispered good job.

Ash looked at his new Pokéball, "I know this is your first battle, but I'm sure that you can win this. Dratini, to the battlefront!"

Ash's Dratini appeared on the battlefield with an intense look on his face that startled everyone that saw it. He may be small and look fairly timid, but he was still a Dragon Type, and dragons were born for battle.

"Alright Dratini, its time to prove how strong you are. Use Twister!" Ash shouted.

Dratini's eyes flashed with power as a tornado formed in front of the small Dragon Pokémon. With a thought, Dratini sent the Twister attack careening towards Starmie.

"Starmie, use Rapid Spin in reverse to counter the Twister," Misty shouted.

Ash looked at her stunned while her Pokémon did as instructed, _'That's a good counter strategy. Alright Dratini, lets finish this battle, disperse the Twister and follow it quickly with Dragon Rage.'_

Dratini did as instructed immediately, the twister attack faded away and Starmie stopped his Rapid Spin in surprise. By the time he noticed Dratini's Dragon Rage, it was too lat and he was sent flying across the field and was knocked out.

"Starmie is unable to battle, Dratini is the winner," the judge said.

"Starmie return," Misty recalled the Mysteries Pokémon to its Pokéball. Thanking it, she switched it out for a fresh Pokémon. "Vaporeon lets go!"

With a cry, Vaporeon appeared on the field. "Vaporeon use Water Gun!" Misty shouted.

Vaporeon leapt into action, taking a deep breath and firing a powerful stream of water hat the Dragon Pokémon.

"Protect!" Ash snapped. Instantly a glowing green shield formed around Dratini and the Water Gun bounced off.

"Now use Dragon Breath!" Ash called out. Dratini took a deep great and launched a mass of green flames at Vaporeon.

"Dodge with Acid Armor," Misty ordered. Vaporeon's body literally melted into water and washed away into the pool, causing the Dragon Breath to miss.

"Use Thunder Wave on the water!" Ash shouted, causing Misty to gasp.

"Vaporeon, get out of there!" she shrieked in fear, but it was too late. Dratini twisted his body and launched a low level wave of electricity over the field and into the water, paralyzing the Bubble Jet Pokémon.

"Oh no, Vaporeon!" Misty cried as she watched a sparking Vaporeon pull herself out of the water and back onto the platform.

"Now use Dragon Rage!" Ash shouted. Dratini brought his head up and exhaled a large volume of blue/black energy. The energy wave took on the form of a dragon roaring and shot down towards Vaporeon.

"Vaporeon, get out of there with Quick attack!" Misty shouted frantically. Vaporeon tried to jump out of the way but the paralysis froze her. The Dragon Rage came down with a vicious explosion, covering the field with smoke. When the smoke cleared away, Vaporeon could be seen covered with burns.

"Use Aqua Ring to heal yourself." Vaporeon gave a week nod of acknowledgment and an instant later several rings of water formed around her, and she started healing.

"Quick Dratini, use Dragon Tail while she's healing!" Ash ordered.

The little Dragon Type dove into the water and speedily swam down towards Vaporeon. Two feet away Dratini leapt out of the water with his tail glowing turquoise. He performed a front flip to bring his tail down towards the Bubble Jet Pokémon.

"Counter it with Tackle!" Misty shouted.

Vaporeon leapt at the incoming Dragon Tail attack with a full power tackle. The two attacks met in midair and exploded, sending both Pokémon flying into the water.

Both trainers looked at the pool hopefully, waiting to see which Pokémon survived. Ash decided not to use his aura this time because it wouldn't be fair to Misty.

Finally, Vaporeon was the first to surface…knocked out. "Oh no Vaporeon!" Misty cried. She pulled out her Pokéball and returned the Water Type. "Thank you Vaporeon, you did really well."

"But where's Dratini?" Ash asked. Suddenly, he felt something poking at his feet. Looking down, Ash found his little Dragon Pokémon slithering up his leg. He let out a sigh of relief.

This attracted the attention of the judge, who'd been searching for Dratini. "Vaporeon is unable to battle, Dratini is the winner. The victor is Ash of Pallet town!"

The crowd roared, Ash nearly jumped out of his skin, he'd forgotten that most of the passengers had congregated to watch the battle.

'_Thank you Dratini, you were magnificent!' _Ash said in his mind.

'_I know!"_ he replied in a voice filled with triumph.

Ash just shook his head and returned him. Looking up, he found Misty standing in front of him, holding out a small, blue teardrop shaped badge.

"That was a great battle Ash," she said, "Your going to be a great trainer some day. Here, have the Cascade badge as proof of your victory over the Cerulean Gym Leader."

"Thanks Misty," Ash said as he took the badge. "We need to battle again, that was really fun."

Misty smiled, "You've got yourself a deal. Come on, let's go find Brock and save what ever poor girl he's failing to flirt with."

Ash smiled and followed.

* * *

"Hi Professor Oak, sorry I wasn't able to talk to you last time, I needed to hurry and get to a battle."

"Not to worry Ash, so did you win?" Oak asked.

"I did, I'll be sending Dratini and Bulbasaur back now so I can get Pidgeotto and Gyarados back," Ash said.

"Alright then, just place your Pokéballs on the transporter and I'll start the transfer," Oak said.

Ash did so and watched as the two Pokéballs vanished, to be replaced by two more.

"Ok I've got them," Ash told the Pokémon researcher.

"As do I," Oak replied, "by the way, where are you calling from?"

Ash smiled, "I'm on board the St. Anne. Some weirdo's came up to me and gave my friends and I three free tickets then ran off before we could even say thanks."

Oak blinked, "Well that was nice of them, are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah, it's been pretty cool," Ash said, "I won the grand prize in the monthly ticket drawing. It was a Pokémon egg, a set of evolution items, a set of all types of Pokéballs, a shiny Gible, and a Masterball."

The professor was gaping, "That's…quite a set of prizes you received. Do you have any plans for the Masterball?"

"Hmmm, no not really, I mean I can't just use it on any random Pokémon. I guess I'll just wait and see what happens," Ash said, "And I'm sure you want to look at my Gible so I'll send him to you once I get to Saffron City."

"Alright Ash, I expect you'll call once you get that package? Good, stay safe," he hung up.

"Yeah right," Ash mumbled to himself, thinking about the dream he had last night.

Ash shook his head as he shut the machine off and started walking back to the ballroom to meet Brock and Misty for lunch. Passing by a large window, Ash frowned as he noticed a large mass of storm clouds forming in the distance.

'_This isn't good, I was really hoping that dream wasn't real,'_ he thought to himself.

'_We'll know for sure if Team Rocket tries to attack during dinner,' _Pikachu said

Stepping into the dining room, Ash looked around with his eyes and aura.

'_Hmm, all of the waiter's are giving off funny emotions,'_ he said.

'_Hey is that James over at the Magikarp stand?'_ Pikachu suddenly said.

Ash followed Pikachu's pointing and saw that it was indeed James. He sidled over to listen in on the conversation.

"…see how healthy it is?" the salesmen asked as he tossed a Magikarp into James' hands.

"Ah, it certainly is lively!" James replied.

The salesmen leaned forwards and started whispering loudly, "Just between you and me, this Magikarp is like a Pokémon goldmine."

James looked up in surprise, "Goldmine?"

"Right, a Magikarp lays one thousand eggs at a time, each of those one thousand baby Magikarp lay one thousand more, one thousand times one thousand makes one million…"

Ash stopped listening as he walked away, shaking his head in amusement. Pikachu was barely stopping himself from rolling on the floor in laughter. The rest of his Pokémon weren't even bothering; Ash's head was filled with the roaring laughter of eight Pokémon.

Finding his friends, Ash sat down next to Misty and started filling his plate with food. Noticing his smirk, Brock asked, "What's so funny?"

Ash leaned in so that both could hear and told them what he just saw. Two minutes later, three children and one Pikachu were laughing their heads off.

Once lunch was finished, the three friends started wandering around the Ballroom, chatting with various trainers and watching the occasional battle.

Ash and Misty were listening as Brock chatted with a Pokémon connoisseur from Unova about trainer compatibility when it happened. All at once, all of the doors slammed shut, the curtains on the windows fell down and blocked out the sun, and all of the waiters ripped off their uniforms to reveal Team Rocket uniforms underneath.

They were all wearing large mechanical backpacks with two hoses protruding over their shoulders.

Then all of the lights went out and a spotlight came on revealing Jessie and James, both wearing packs of their own.

"Prepare for trouble," Jessie began.

"And make it double," James continued.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all people within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie,"

"James,"

"Team Rocket blasting off at the speed of light,"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight,"

"Meowth that's right," Meowth said.

"Team Rocket will now take possession of your Pokémon," Jessie finished.

This started the crowd of trainers muttering. That's when all of the Rockets activated their backpacks, which turned out to be giant vacuums. A huge wind built up in the crowd and Pokéballs started coming loose from trainer belts all over the place.

"ARE WE JUST GOING TO LET THEM STEAL OUR Pokémon LIKE THIS?" Ash shouted above the gale as he snatched his Pokéballs out of the air. "WE'RE TRAINERS AREN'T WE, BATTLE THEM!"

"RIGHT" Everyone shouted. Suddenly the air was filled with the sounds of Pokémon being released from their balls. Ash followed suit, tossing four Pokéballs into the air (Pikachu was already out and Gyarados was too big to maneuver safely).

As Riolu, Pidgeotto, Squirtle, and Gible appeared, Ash looked around the room. Everywhere he looked there were Rockets still trying to suck up more Pokéballs, or Pokémon fighting the different Rocket grunts.

"All right, Pikachu and Riolu, I want you two to go around and destroy those vacuums on the Rocket Grunt's backs. The rest of you, work with the other Pokémon to subdue and corral the grunts together," Ash ordered.

The Pokémon nodded in understanding and ran off to get to work. All over the Ballroom, Pokémon were attacking Rockets. Water types were using Water Gun and BubbleBeam to wash grunts away into a massive Whirlpool. The Whirlpool would dump the grunts into a corral of several Pokémon doing Rollout.

Pikachu and Riolu had leapt into the corral and were speeding through, breaking open vacuum packs at high speed. Upon seeing what they were doing, several trainers called out Psychic Types to levitate the Pokéballs out of there and back to their appropriate trainers.

"TIME TO GET RID OF THEM!" Ash shouted, "GROUP GUST!"

Flying types erupted from Pokéballs all over the room and started circling around above the Rockets. Flapping their wings powerfully, the wind started picking up and forming a large tornado around all of the Rocket Grunts.

"Brock, Misty, get that window open!" Ash ordered, pointing towards a large window that pointed to the open sea.

"All right Ash," Brock replied. He and Misty went over to rip the curtain down and force open the window.

Ash ran around to the other side of the twister and barked out his own order through voice and aura, "Pidgeotto, use Twister on that tornado and direct it out the window!"

Ash's Pidgeotto separated from the rest of the flock and started flapping her wings extra hard. A slightly smaller tornado formed in front of her and she directed it into the Gust tornado. The two twister's merged and doubled in size before sliding out and ejecting out the window, taking all of the Rocket grunts out with it. After a moment, all of the flying types that had been in the tornado came flying back in and landing on or in front of their trainers.

"YEAH!" Everyone cheered.

"Well, that was easy," Ash said, hands on his hips, once he had returned his Pokémon.

"**But we still need to deal with the ship sinking," **Pikachu said.

That stopped Ash short, "Ah shit!" he said.

"What Ash," Misty asked.

"What did Pikachu say?" Brock added.

Ash didn't get a chance to answer because at that exact moment, an enormous wave crashed against the ship and caused it to tilt to the side.

"Oh no!" Misty was looking out a porthole, "It's a big storm."

"It'll be tough to get back with waves like this," Brock said.

"What!" Misty exclaimed shock, "Is the ship going to sink?"

"No, the captain said that this ship is unsinkable," Brock soothed.

"That's what they said about the Titanic," Ash muttered.

"What did you say Ash?" Misty asked.

"Hmm? Oh nothing," Ash replied.

The ship rocked again.

The intercom suddenly blared, "This is your captain speaking, will all passengers please make your way to the lifeboats. This is not a drill; the ship is taking on water. Again, will all passengers please make your way to the lifeboats."

Ash immediately stretched out with his aura and started scanning the ship for anything out of the ordinary.

'_There!'_ Riolu said, _'Five humans, all trapped together in a cabin in middeck. They're starting to panic, we need to get there fast.'_

"Come on Ash, we need to go!" Misty said.

"I can't Misty," Ash replied, "I can sense five trainer's trapped in their cabin, I need to get them to safety. You and Brock get to a lifeboat and I'll meet you there."

Brock frowned, "No Ash, we're sticking together. We'll help you save them."

"But…" Ash tried to protest, but he was interrupted.

"You don't have any choice," Misty snapped, her redheaded temper starting to show, "You're not the boss of us, and anyway, you'll have a better chance if we help you."

"But…" Ash tried again, but was silenced by an angry glare from Misty, "Alright, lets go." He ran off, deeper into the ship, followed closely by the former gym leaders.

After running down two flights of stairs and navigating through several different corridors, Ash stopped at a T section and looked around in confusion.

"Ash…" Brock said tentatively, "Do you actually know where you're going?"

Ash shrugged helplessly, "The best I can give you is that direction," he said, pointing at the wall they were facing, "About a hundred yards away."

"Well lucky for you, I built a miniature model of the St. Anne when I was young," Misty said, "I'm pretty sure I know which cabin your talking about and I know the fastest way there."

"Well then lead on my Lady Misty," Ash said with a flourish and a bow. Misty giggled at his antics and Brock rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Misty ran off down the left path and took a serried of lefts and rights without any hesitation. Finally, she stopped outside of a door with a melted handle. Ash rapped loudly on the door, "Hello? Anybody in there?" he shouted.

"Hello? Can you help us, my Magby accidentally melted the door frame and we can't get out," Someone shouted back.

"Sure, stand back so I can break down the door," Ash ordered. He turned around and pulled out two Pokéballs. "Squirtle, Gible, use Skull Bash and Take Down on the door!" he shouted, tossing the balls into the air.

The two Pokémon appeared and did as ordered, breaking the door down in one stroke. Brock ran in to make sure everyone was ok and Ash turned to the two Pokémon. "Thanks guys, good job. Return." Ash recalled them back to their balls.

"Ok everyone is alright, Misty can you guide us to the nearest Lifeboat?" Brock asked.

"You got it Brock, follow me everyone, this way," Misty ran off down the corridor, followed by the trainers with Brock and Ash bringing up the rear.

After five minutes of trying to make their way through a tilting and listing ship, the eight trainer's burst out onto the main deck and right next to a life boat.

"Everyone this way!" one of the ships officer's shouted. No one hesitated and ran towards the lifeboat. The officer looked over them and frowned, "Do any of you have a large Water Pokémon? It'll be dangerous for more than five people to board at this point."

"I've got a Lapras," one of the trainers said, holding up a Pokéball.

"And I've got my Gyarados!" Ash added.

"Alright, your Gyarados won't attack anyone will it?" the officer asked.

"As long as I'm not being attacked, she's harmless," Ash replied.

"Good, now who's the strongest swimmer among you?" he asked.

"Probably me," Misty said, "I was raised in a Water Gym."

"Right, release your Pokémon into the ocean, then you three need to hang onto the side of the Lifeboat while we lower it, then board one of the Pokémon once we get to the water," The Officer ordered.

Everyone scrambled to do as he said, Ash and the other trainer ran to the edge and tossed their Pokéballs, "Lapras, I need your help!/Gyarados to the Battlefront!" they shouted.

They then followed the officer's instructions to latch on to the side of the lifeboat, and he started lowering it into the water.

Everything was just fine for the first fifteen or so meters. Then suddenly, a gust of wind rocked the boat and Misty lost her grip. She scrambled frantically for a moment, trying to grab onto something but to no avail, she fell. "AAAHHHHHH!" she screamed in terror.

"Misty!" Ash shouted. Without pausing to think, Ash let the aura fill his body and allowed instinct take over. Ignoring everyone else's cries of protest, Ash released his hold on the boat, let himself fall back, then kicked off the bottom of the boat hard and propelled himself forward.

In a matter of seconds, he had caught up with Misty's falling form and grabbed her bridal style. "Ash!" she said in shock. Still letting the aura control his movements, he performed a midair somersault and landed in a perfect crouch on Gyarados' head.

Coming back to himself, Ash let Misty stand up and they both grabbed Gyarados' horn for support. "Are you ok?" Ash asked.

"Yeah," Misty said a little breathlessly, "You saved me, thank you."

"Of course," Ash said, "It's the duty of an Aura Guardian to save people."

"Hey Ash!" Brock shouted from above, "Are you ok?"

Ash looked up to see that the boat was nearly to them, "Yeah, we're both fine."

* * *

The total crew compliment and passenger count aboard the St. Anne usually averaged about 300 people. At all times there were fourteen lifeboats attached to the ship, each with enough provisions to sustain 25 people for three days, a gas or electric motor that could last just as long, an emergency transponder, and a short range radio to stay in contact with the other boats.

Two hours after the St. Anne officially became the new Titanic, a fleet of 13 lifeboats had congregated together to determine a plan of action. After consulting with the bridge crew, the captain addressed the passengers with his megaphone.

"Attention passengers. At the present time, we are approximately 150 nautical miles from the seaport in Kanto's Lavender Town. At top speed, these lifeboats will be able to reach Lavender town in three hours. If you will please remain patient and calm, rest assured that the crew and I hold your safety as our top priority and we will have you back on dry land as soon as possible. I now ask for a few volunteers among the trainer's we had on board. Those of you with large Water or Flying Pokémon, if you could act as a guard while we make our way back to the mainland it would be most appreciated. Thank you for your cooperation."

(AN: To those of you who are sailors or know anything about sailing or being at sea, I just made those numbers up on the spot because I'm too lazy to research the damn subject so please don't skewer me for getting anything wrong like distance or time or speed.)

Ash, who'd decided stay with Gyarados to keep her calm instead of getting on a lifeboat, directed his large Pokémon to the outer edge of the little fleet to join the other Water Types that were emerging from Pokéballs. Most of the trainer's thought similar to Ash and joined their Pokémon on the guard ring.

In the sky, Trainer's were riding their Staraptor or Pidgeot; one even had a Braviary. In the sea, there were other trained Gyarados, a couple of Lapras, a Mantine, and even a Wailord. It was an impressive sight to behold.

Ash spent the time chatting with his Pokémon.

'_Lavender town huh?' _Ash said, _'I've heard about an old tower there that is home to a lot of ghost Pokémon.'_

'_Sounds like fun,'_ Bulbasaur said dryly.

'_Are we going to go check it out?'_ Gible asked.

'_Yeah, I'm planning to,' _Ash said, _'A Ghost Type would be good to have on the team.'_

'_Ugh, Ghost Types creep me out,'_ Charmeleon said.

'_What? Is the big bad fire lizard scared of a little ghost?'_ Squirtle mocked.

'_Hah, you wish,'_ Charmeleon immediately snapped back, _'But I'm at the lab so I don't need to deal with any Ghost Types, you on the other hand are with Ash. Happy Ghost Busting!'_

'_Hah, Ghosts don't scare me!' _Squirtle boasted, _'If any Ghost Type comes near me, I'll whoop them with my mad ninja turtle skills.'_

'_Would you two be quite,'_ Bulbasaur snapped, _'You're giving me a headache!'_

Ash just sighed, _'I never should have let them have free reign with the TV last night.'_

* * *

**Again thank you to everyone who voted on the poll**

**I have decided to put up a new poll to help me decide what to do about the Saffron Gym battle, so if you would be so kind to tell me what you think I should do the poll is on my profile.**

**Thanks so much**

**Read and Review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you all for your patience, I know its not easy waiting on a good story to continue.**

**Now, I apologize if I offend anyone but some of the repetitive question's I'm getting in reviews are getting annoying so I need to rant:**

**Many of you have mentioned that there are no Contests in the Unova Region. I know this very well, but as you surely realize by now is that this story is not exactly canon. As I've told one of my reviewers I intend to have all of Ash's traveling companions remain with Ash through out all of the regions *SPOILER*, meaning that I will need contests in Unova for May and Dawn to compete in. Secondly, I know that Pikachu's ability is Static in canon, but I changed it to Lightningrod for my story so please stop reminding me what I already know.**

**I feel better now. On with the Chapter.**

* * *

Ash plopped down at one of the Lavender Town Pokémon center's many breakfast tables, right across from a certain orange haired trainer. "Morning Misty," he greeted tiredly, putting down a stack of pancakes to share with Pikachu.

She smiled at him, "Good morning Ash," she replied, "Are we heading out today, now that the authorities have let us go?"

Ash shuddered at the thought; it had been two days since the sinking of the St. Anne. Two hectic days of reassuring his crying mother, showing his Pokédex to dozens of officials, getting interviewed by dozens of reporters about his stunt saving Misty and rescuing the five stranded trainers.

Ash shook his head, "Not yet, I want to go and check out the Pokémon Tower. I'm thinking of trying to catch a Ghost Type."

"Ok," she replied, "I'm thinking of going fishing…"

What ever she was going to say was interrupted by a loud shriek of "NURSE JOY!" Brock went speeding by like a Quick Attack, aimed at the Nurse Joy standing at the counter.

Unfortunately for Brock, his progress was impeded by a hand coming out of nowhere and latching onto his ear. He screamed in pain as his feet flew out from under him and he landed hard on his back.

Ash blinked at Misty, "Nice reflexes," he complimented.

"Anyway," Misty continued as if this was an everyday occurrence (which it was), "There are lots of Water Pokémon that can only be found in the sea, I'm going to try and catch one."

"Well, good luck," Ash said as he finished his breakfast, "I'll see you tonight."

"Alright, see you later," Misty waved.

Ash stood up and took his plate to the counter. He then made his way to the phone and called Professor Oak. After a few rings, the Pokémon professor answered, "Hello Ash, what can I do for you?"

"Morning Professor, I just want to transfer Squirtle down to the lab," Ash said, "I'm going to try and capture a Ghost Type in the Lavender Town Pokémon Tower."

"Alright then, good luck," Oak said as he activated the receive function on the Pokéball transporter, "Ghost Type Pokémon are notoriously difficult to capture."

"Thanks professor, but I've got a plan that should make it easy enough," Ash said.

"Well, let me know how it works for you," Oak said, "Now I've got to go and start feeding the Pokémon on the ranch, goodbye Ash."

"Bye Professor Oak," Ash said, and he hung up. After quickly taking the Pokémon egg to Nurse Joy for a checkup, he made his way to the outskirts of town.

* * *

Ash stood under a dark and cloudy sky, staring up at the famed Pokémon Tower. Stretching out with his aura, he could sense many life forms within the dilapidated building.

'_Well, here goes nothing,'_ ht thought as he pushed the doors open and walked in.

Closing his eyes and letting aura fill his vision, Ash examined the room. In hues of glowing blue, the entire tower filled his minds eye.

'_There on the third floor,' _he thought. Absently releasing Riolu, Ash made his way to the staircase, letting the aura guide his movements to avoid any weak floorboards.

Bypassing the second floor, they made their was out on to the third floor landing and to a room at the end of the hallway. Looking around with glowing blue eyes, Ash and Riolu could see dozens of ghosts floating around. Near the end of the room, Ash could see a young looking Haunter, floating around in a circle and looking bored out of its mind.

'_That's the one,'_ Ash thought as he and Riolu made their way over.

'_Use your Foresight,' _Ash told Riolu, _'Keep it focused on that Haunter, hopefully the others will leave us alone if we leave them alone.'_

Riolu nodded in understanding and focused his closed eyes on the Haunter in front of them. It was still ignoring them, believing that they couldn't see it.

Suddenly, Riolu's eyes snapped open to unleash a bright red beam of energy that zeroed in on Haunter.

"Haunter?" the Ghost/Poison Type said in surprise as it was forced to reveal itself.

Without giving it a chance to recover its wits, Ash snapped off his next order, "Quick Attack!"

Riolu propelled himself towards Haunter and crashed into it, knocking it against a wall.

"Now, Force Palm!" Riolu's palm started glowing bright white as leapt towards the dazed ghost. Bringing his palm up to the Haunter's side, it ignited and blasted the Pokémon across the room.

"Alright Riolu, finish it!" Ash ordered. The Emanation Pokémon charged up his newest attack and pelted across the room, slashing his paw down on Haunter. Ash wasted no time in launching one of his new Duskballs at the fallen Pokémon.

The green and black Pokéball connected with Haunter's side and popped open. It converted Haunter into a mass of purple energy and absorbed it, snapping shut. The Duskball rocked once…twice…three times…four times, finally dinging a successful capture.

Riolu picked up the Duskball and handed it to Ash. "Thanks Riolu, you did really well in that battle." Riolu smiled at the praise and they started making their way out of the building. As they walked Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned his new Pokémon.

**Haunter the Gas Pokémon, and the evolved form of Gastly. Because of its ability to slip through block walls, it is said to be from another dimension. This Haunter is male and has the ability Levitate. He knows the moves Lick, Hypnosis, Night Shade, and Confuse Ray.**

"All right," Ash said to himself, "Look out Sabrina, 'cause here I come."

* * *

Later that night after a particularly intensive training session, which involved bonding to Haunter and breaking him into Ash's training methods, the young trainer arrived back in the Pokémon center. After dropping his Pokémon off with Nurse Joy and collecting his egg, Ash looked around for his two friends.

Spying them over at one of the dining tables having dinner, he grabbed a plate of food and sat down next to Brock. "Hey guys, what's up?" he asked.

"Not much," Brock replied, "Did you catch that Ghost Type you were after?"

"Yep, I've got a brand new Haunter on my team," Ash said, "It actually worked out for both of us because he wanted to go on an adventure but his parents wouldn't let him leave the tower till he was older. Now he gets his adventure sooner and I make sure he doesn't kill himself."

"Sounds like a win-win to me," Brock said.

"Speaking of captures," Misty said, "I caught the most adorable Horsea today while fishing."

"Really?" Ash asked, "Nice, I hear Kingdra are powerful Pokémon."

"Kingdra?" Misty asked in confusion.

"Oh sorry," Ash apologized, "Kingdra is the final evolved form of Horsea; a Seadra will evolve into a Kingdra if you give it a Dragon Scale. It's a Water/Dragon Type and pretty powerful."

"Really?" Misty said, "I wonder if I got a Dragon Scale in my prize pack…" she trailed off as she reached for her backpack.

Ash turned to Brock, "Are we ready to head out? I'd like to leave tomorrow morning if possible."

The Pokémon breeder frowned in thought as he reached for his massive backpack. Muttering to himself and rummaging through it, he said, "I don't think I have the proper supplies to make Pokémon food for a Ghost/Poison Type, lets stop by the Pokémart in the morning and I should be all set."

"Sounds good," Ash said, turning to finish his diner. After dinner they sat chatting for a while before deciding to hit the hay. As they started making their way towards their rooms, a sudden and familiar beeping coming from Ash's backpack made them all stop short.

"Ash, is that what I think it is?" Brock asked.

Ash wordlessly nodded his head as he spun around and ran out to Nurse Joy's counter. "Nurse Joy!" Ash said loudly.

"Yes? How can I help you?" she asked, coming out of the back room.

"I think my egg is about to hatch!" he said quickly, pulling the flashing egg out of his backpack.

"Oh my!" she said worriedly, "When I examined it this morning, I didn't think it was anywhere near ready to hatch. Quickly bring it to the back. Chansey!"

The large and pink Egg Pokémon came bounding into the room, pushing a stretcher designed specifically for Pokémon eggs.

"Nurse Joy," Brock asked, "Is there anything I can do to help? I'm a Pokémon breeder and this could be invaluable experience."

"As long as the eggs owner agrees," The Pokémon nurse said after a moments thought, "I could use an extra hand."

"Go for it Brock," Ash said, "Will you need me there too?"

"Oh yes," Nurse Joy replied, "Its important that you are the first person it see's, especially in a premature hatching like this."

Ash nodded and followed them into the delivery room.

* * *

Ash sat silently as he watched Nurse Joy and Brock worked. The moment they came into the room, the Pokémon Nurse had taken the egg out of its container and carefully placed it under a scanner.

Going over to a nearby monitor, Nurse Joy scanned the data that appeared on the screen and called out readings to Brock, who was scribbling furiously on a clipboard.

After a few minutes, the Nurse shut down the machine and grabbed to clipboard from Brock to study it. She gasped, "Oh my!"

Turning to Ash, she asked, "Where and when did you get this egg? And also have you ever taken it out of the container?"

"I won it about four days ago on board the St. Anne," Ash replied, "and the only time I took it out of the container was this morning to polish it."

"Alright," the nurse said, "according to these reading, your egg received a severe trauma between one and three weeks ago, causing a miniscule crack on the bottom. From my scans the Pokémon within is just fine physically, however, events like this almost always leave severe psychological trauma."

"So, what do I do?" Ash asked, greatly worried about his egg.

* * *

Ash sat in the private room that Nurse Joy had given him, bored out of his mind. He had settled himself on the bunk, and was now staring at the flashing egg that stubbornly refused to hatch.

'_Oh Arceus, how long is this going to take?'_ Ash thought in exasperation.

'_I don't know, but I hope it hatches soon,' _Bulbasaur said,_ 'Melanie never let anyone watch when she help new parents hatch an egg.'_

'_I wonder what it could be,' _Charmeleon asked.

'_We won't know until it hatches,' _Ash said.

'_I know, but it can't hurt to guess,'_ Charmeleon replied.

'_It had better not be another Squirtle,'_ Gyarados said, _'I don't think I could take anymore of him.'_

'_What has he done this time,'_ Riolu asked,

'_Showing off my pure awesomeness!'_ Squirtle interjected.

'_He's been running around the lab with a mask on his face and screaming out Cowabunga!' _Dratini explained.

'_Oh Arceus, why must you punish me so,' _Ash banged his head against the wall.

'_Its really funny when he tries to sneak up on Charmeleon and gets a face full of Dragon Rage,' _Bulbasaur said.

'_He's just jealous of my ninja Squirtle skills,'_ Squirtle said cockily. Everyone laughed, causing Squirtle to sulk.

'_Charmeleon,'_ Ash said, _'you and Bulbasaur can tag team him if he gets out of hand.'_

'_Yes!'_ Charmeleon cheered.

Squirtle wisely kept his mouth shut.

'_Ash!' _Pikachu suddenly said, _'the egg!'_

Ash's eyes snapped open and he focused on the brightly glowing egg in front of him. As he watched, it quickly started growing larger and changing shape, eerily similar to an evolution. As the glow died, it revealed a small dark grey Pokémon that looked similar to an Eevee.

It had a dark black mane around its neck and a tuft of blood red hair on the top of its head.

Ash gasped almost silently, "It's a Zorua," he said out loud.

The Pokémon shivered and didn't move. Ash carefully crept over and gently picked up the little Dark Type and brought it close to his chest.

"Its all right little Zorua," Ash said soothingly. Reaching out with his aura, he gently enveloped the baby Pokémon with a blanket of comfort. Letting his aura interact with the Dark Type's, he could sense the immense mental scarring that the Pokémon had gone through.

'_Oh Arceus, this is going to take a long time,'_ he thought, his mental voice laced with worry.

'_Don't worry too much Ash,'_ Bulbasaur said, _'with all of us helping, it not impossible.'_

Ash smiled, _'Thanks you guys,' _he said, _'well, lets get to work.'_

Ash closed his eyes and let his mind sink into a deep meditation. After forging one side of an aura bond with the Tricky Fox Pokémon, he delved into the newly born Pokémon's mind. Together with the help of ten Pokémon, the Aura Guardian in training began gently healing the damage with was dealt.

* * *

Nurse Joy was sitting at her desk, dealing with the constant paperwork that her job required. Suddenly, a light built into the desk lit up, attracting the attention of the pink haired nurse.

She got up from her desk and quickly made her way down the nearest corridor, stopping at a large window. A moment later, a Chansey led Brock up to the same window. Through the window, they could see Ash picking up a newly hatched Zorua.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" Brock asked.

"It's called a Zorua," Nurse Joy replied, "It's a Dark Type Pokémon from the Unova region." She then walked over to a computer screen and told it to start a scan of the newborn.

"Alright, the newborn is perfectly healthy," Nurse Joy said, "Now its all up to Ash."

"It's going to be ok," Brock said, "If anyone can do it, Ash can."

The nurse gave him a nod and closed the curtain making her way back to her desk. Had she waited a moment longer, she might have noticed the blue glow that covered Ash and Zorua as he sunk into a deep aura meditation.

In another part of the Pokémon center, a small Pikachu curled into a ball. A moment later, he and the five Pokéballs sitting next to him began glowing the same color. Several hundred miles away, four Pokémon curled up together and started glowing as well.

* * *

The next morning, Nurse Joy pulled the curtain open to reveal Ash sleeping peacefully in the bunk. The Zorua was curled up under his arms, but looked peaceful. She smiled, "It looks like he made some excellent progress," she said to Brock and Misty, whom had come up behind her to see for themselves.

As she said this, Ash opened his eyes and sat up. Looking at the Two-Way mirror, he said, "Morning Nurse Joy, morning Brock, morning Misty."

An intercom came on, "Good morning Ash," the hesitant voice of Nurse Joy could be heard. "How are you and the hatchling doing?"

"Just fine," he replied, looking down at his new Zorua with a fond smile. It was just starting to wake up, its eyes opened and it gave a big toothy yawn. "I'm pretty sure he's alright now," he said, looking back towards where he could feel the Nurse and his friends.

"Do you think he'd allow me to come in and examine him?" she asked.

Ash looked down, _'What do you think?' _he asked.

Zorua looked up at him, then towards the mirror, _'Its ok, I can feel her aura through you, I trust her.'_

"Come on it Nurse Joy, you too guys," Ash said, "I'm sure he'll be alright."

The door quickly opened and in came the nurse followed by Brock and Misty. Ash set the Pokémon in his arms down on the examination tray in the center of the room and stood by as Nurse Joy performed a full and lengthy exam on Zorua.

Half an hour later, she stepped back, "Congratulations Ash," she said, "Your Zorua is perfectly healthy. I'd also like to commend you for such a good job hatching it, I've never seen a mental recovery as fast as this one, good job."

Ash smiled, "Thank you Nurse Joy. Do you think I can capture him now, I'd like to get on the road to Saffron City for a gym battle."

"Yes, it should be perfectly fine," she said, "But he's far too young to take place in a gym battle now, if you want him to battle in Saffron, I'd recommend waiting for a few weeks."

"Alright Nurse Joy, thank you," he said.

Once she walked out, Ash walked over to the incubator and pulled the Pokéball from the top. Returning it to regular size, Ash's eyes widened for a moment then he started chuckling. _'A Cherish Ball, how fitting,' _he thought.

Walking over to Zorua, he tapped the red Pokéball on the Pokémon's side and watched as he was absorbed inside. The Cherish Ball dinged an instant capture, signaling that Zorua didn't struggle. A moment later, the ball shrunk down and locked up, letting Ash know that this was his seventh Pokémon.

Turning to his friends, he asked, "Are we ready to go?"

"Almost," Brock said, "I still need to go to the Pokémart to buy enough supplies for Haunter and now Zorua's food."

"Alright," Ash said, "I just need to call Professor Oak and transfer Gible, should we just meet up at the Pokémart?"

"That sounds good," Brock said.

"I don't have any problems," Misty added, "We'll see you there Ash."

Ash nodded and made his way towards the phone booths while Brock and Misty headed towards the exit.

Two hours later, the trio were making their way out of Lavender Town and towards Saffron City.

As they passed the City edge, Ash suddenly stopped and turned towards his dark-skinned companion. "Hey Brock, how long will our stores last?"

The Breeder furrows his brows as he ran through a checklist of everything in his backpack. "I'd say about three weeks as long as none of us captures any Pokémon. Two if each of us catchess one Pokémon. Why do you ask?"

"Well I've been thinking, I really want to use Zorua in my battle with Sabrina," Ash explained, "But Nurse Joy said not to use him in any battles for a few weeks. So I was wondering if you guys would mind taking a scenic route to Saffron City so I can get some training in."

"Hmm, well I don't have any problems with it, what do you think Misty?" Brock asked.

"Lets do it," Misty agreed, "And besides, this is technically your journey, we're just tagging along."

"Don't be ridiculous Misty," Ash said, "Just because were traveling to gyms doesn't mean that his isn't your journey too."

"Thank you Ash, that's really sweet of you," Misty said, smiling at him.

"You…you're welcome Misty," Ash said, quickly turning away to hide his blush. He felt a nudge at his side and turned to see Brock smiling at him knowingly. Ash scowled at him and turned away, trying to ignore the snickering of his Pokémon.

"So what are your plans for training Ash?" Brock asked.

"Well, I'm hoping to find a lake or river near by to camp at for a couple of weeks," Ash said, "Then I'll start an intense daily routine until our food stored start running low."

"I like it," Brock said, "Simple and to the point. I'll look on the map to see of there are any nearby lakes."

As Brock was doing this, Ash noticed that Misty seemed deep in thought,

'_I wonder what she's thinking about,'_ he thought.

'_No clue, girls confuse me,'_ Pikachu said.

'_Hmph, your not the only one,'_ Charmeleon said.

'_Men are not meant to understand girls,' _Bulbasaur said sagely.

'_And you never will,'_ Gyarados said while Pidgeotto was giggling.

"Here we are," Brock said, pointing towards his map. "There is a lake about three miles in that direction," he was pointing northwest.

"Alright, lets go," Ash said. He glanced at the map then took the lead, trekking towards the lake Brock had pointed out.

About half an hour into their walk, Misty spoke up, "Hey Ash?"

"Yeah Misty," he replied.

"Ever since our battle, I've been thinking hard," she said, "Wondering how you were able to beat me so thoroughly, even though I've been a trainer for longer than you have."

"And have you figured it out?" he asked. He knew the answer, but also knew that she needed to answer it for herself.

"Yes, I think so," she said, "I realize that I've been neglecting my Pokémon and myself. My dream is to become a Water Pokémon Master, and its time for me to step up and really take that dream seriously."

"Good for you Misty," Brock said, "I know you can do it."

"Thanks Brock," Misty said.

"So, does this mean that you'll be leaving us?" Ash asked, being careful to keep his voice neutral.

"No," she said. Ash silently let out a breath of air he didn't know he was holding. "Just the opposite in fact," she continued, "I was wondering if you'd let me start training with you?"

Ash stopped in his tracks and turned to face the orange haired girl. "You want to train with me?" he asked, completely stunned.

"Yes," she replied, "I need to learn the best ways to train my Pokémon and I think I can do that best by watching and working with you."

Ash nodded, thinking it over, "Alright, on one condition."

"And what's that?" Brock asked, wondering why his compassionate friend wouldn't want to help his other friend instantly.

"That you join us," Ash said, pointing at the Breeder.

"Wh…what? Me?" Brock asked, confused.

"Yes, you," Ash said, "You want to be a breeder, what better way to understand Pokémon than to train with them. Besides, you're not giving my Pokémon enough nutrients so your obviously underestimating the amount of training I do."

"Not enough nutrients?" Brock asked incredulously, "What kind of crazy things do you do to those poor Pokémon?"

Ash gave him a predatorial grin, "You'll see tomorrow."

* * *

The next day…

5:00 A.M.

"Wake up guys."

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

5:01 A.M.

"Wake up guys."

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

5:02 A.M.

"Wake up guys."

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

5:03 A.M.

"Wake up guys."

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

5:04 A.M.

"Wake up guys."

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

5:05 A.M.

"Last chance, wake up guys."

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

"Alright, I warned you. Gyarados be a dear and wake them up."

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaash!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Misty and Brock leapt out of their sleeping bags, screaming at the top of their lungs. Suddenly they realized where they were and started glaring at Ash, who was laughing his head off from atop his chuckling Gyarados.

"ASH KETCHUM, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE WAKING US UP AT THE CRACK OF DAWN!" Misty shrieked at the top of her voice.

"You should feel lucky Misty," Ash returned, "I woke up an hour ago and decided to let you guys sleep in on the worst day of you life."

He leapt down from the Atrocious Pokémon's head, his face adopting a stern look, not unlike when he battled. "Now that you guys are awake, its time to meditate, release your Pokémon," he ordered.

They scrambled to grab their Pokéballs; this was not an Ash that they wanted annoyed at them.

After an hour-long meditation, and a half an hour-long empathy training session, Brock, Misty, and all of their Pokémon were lined up on front of Ash.

"Now then," Ash started, "Over the next couple of weeks, both you and your Pokémon are going to train harder than you have ever trained before. At the end of this, all of you are going to be much stronger than you ever were before, you and your Pokémon are going to be closer than you can ever imagine.

"The first hour is going to be a warm-up, followed by endurance and evasion training until lunch. After lunch is power training for four hours. Afterwards is a two-hour move-tutor session. I expect that every Pokémon here will have learned at least two moves by the time we are done in a few weeks. After dinner your time is your own."

Ash grinned at them, "Let the training begin."

-Begin training montage with musical accompaniment-

_Pokémon!  
Pokémon!  
Pokémon..._

...Let's do it

Ash, Brock, Pikachu, Riolu, Zorua, Graveler, Geodude, and Onix all running along the lake

Zubat, Pidgeotto and Haunter flying above them

Misty, Staryu, Starmie, Vaporeon, Goldeen, Horsea, and Gyarados swimming next to them

_I wanna be the very best  
Like no one ever was _

Misty and Vaporeon dodging Thunderbolt attacks from Pikachu while Pidgeotto and Zubat have a mock battle above

_To catch them is my real test_

Ash and Riolu having a mock fistfight

_To train them is my cause  
_

Brock wearing a blindfold, dodging Roll Outs and Digs from Onix and Graveler

_My whole life has led to this_

Horsea and Goldeen racing around the lake

_Time to test my skills_

Staryu spinning on its axis to charge a Gyro Ball attack

_I know I just can't miss  
Gonna show the world_

Zorua and Haunter trading Shadow Balls

_Born to be a winner _

Pikachu firing a Thunderbolt at a screaming Team Rocket

_Born to be a champion_

Zubat glowing brightly and evolving into a Golbat

_Born to be a winner_

Onix and Gyarados stalemating between Dragon Breath attacks

_Born to be the very best _

Pidgeotto is hit by a Thunderbolt before shaking it off and using Gust

_Born to be a winner_

Various Rock Type Pokémon being hit by a BubbleBeam

_Pokémon!_

-End training Montage-

It was the last day of the groups training detour. By now, Brock and Misty had learned to be up at the crack of dawn or risk being fried by a ThunderShock or soaked by a Hydro Pump.

They had learned quite a lot over the past couple of weeks. Now both Gym leaders could form empathy links with each of their Pokémon at a moments notice. They were now working on channeling their inner aura to form aura links. Each of their Pokémon had grown exponentially in strength and everyone now understood the true meaning of the word 'Train.'

The trio and their Pokémon were just finishing their morning jog around the lake when something strange happened.

"BELLLLL!" Something shrieked. A streak of yellow, like a bullet came streaking out of the surrounding woods at high speed. Ash barely had time to register something with his aura before it slammed into his chest.

"Aaaaaahhh," he yelled as he went flying into the water. Whatever hit him kept flying over the lake before disappearing again.

"Ash!" Misty shouted in worry. Since she was still in the water, she quickly swam over and helped him to shore.

"Are you alright Ash?" Brock asked.

"I…I'm not sure," he gasped out, "My chest hurts…and its…kind of hard…to breath."

"Hmm," Brock pulled Ash's shirt off to see a large bruise forming just below his heart. He gently prodded it, eliciting a gasp of pain from Ash.

"We need to get you to Saffron City right away and have Nurse Joy look at you," Brock said, "A blow like that could easily give you a broken rib."

"Can you heal it with your aura Ash?" Misty asked, "Like you did with my cut a few days ago."

"Doesn't work…like that…only…cuts and bruises," Ash managed to gasp out, "besides…hurts too much…can't concen…concentrate enough."

Brock hurried to his backpack and pulled out the first-aid kit he had won on board the St. Anne. Pulling out an ice pack, he quickly broke the seal and it instantly turned freezing cold. He quickly placed it on Ash's chest, "Keep it here," he ordered, "It will help with the pain and swelling."

Ash nodded and placed a hand on the icepack. Brock turned back to his kit and started rummaging for a painkiller. Handing it and a canteen of water to Ash, he watched as he quickly swallowed it down.

"Do you think you can stand?" Brock asked.

"Maybe," he said. He tried getting to his feet, only to collapse again with a hiss of pain. "Not," he finished.

"This is not good," Misty said, "Saffron City is still three hours away, we'll never make it if we have to carry Ash ourselves."

Pidgeotto hopped forward, **"Let me carry you,"** she said with a determined look on her face.

Ash looked up at her confused, "But, Pidgeotto…you're not big enough to carry…" He was cut off however when the Bird Pokémon started glowing brightly.

She grew taller, almost tripling in size, the plumage on her head lengthened until it reached her tail, her wings became strong and powerful. The glow died away to reveal a regal and powerful looking Pidgeot.

Ash fumbled in his pocket for his Pokédex.

**Pidgeot, the Bird Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pidgeotto. This Pokémon flies at Mach 2 speed, seeking prey. Its large talons are feared as wicked weapons. Upon evolution, Pidgeot learned Air Slash and Roost**

"Wow Pidgeot," Ash said in awe, "thank you."

Pidgeot chirped, **"Get on."** She gestured towards her back.

Brock and Misty seemed to snap out of their shock over seeing Pidgeotto evolve so suddenly and hurried to help Ash over to his Pokémon. Once he was situated on her back, they quickly cleaned up camp and returned all of the Pokémon.

Within twenty minutes, they were ready.

"**Hang on Ash,"** Pidgeot warned, and with a mighty flap of her wings, she was airborne.

Knowing that they wouldn't be able to run all of the way to Saffron, Misty and Brock set a fast walking pace. Pidgeot settled for circling above them, knowing that Ash would need their help to get into the center.

Three hours later, the two weary gym leaders entered Saffron City and made a beeline for the Pokémon center. Once they reached it, Pidgeot landed and Brock helped Ash get off while Misty ran inside to get Nurse Joy.

"Thanks…Brock," Ash gasped as he returned Pidgeot. The painkillers were wearing off, making it difficult to speak.

A moment later, Nurse Joy burst out of the building with a worried Misty. Two Chansey pushing a large stretcher were right behind them. Misty and Brock settled Ash on the stretcher then watched as he was wheeled away.

"Well, nothing to do now but wait," Brock said.

"I hope he will be okay," Misty said worriedly.

* * *

A couple of hours later, a tired looking Nurse Joy came walking out of the ER, a triumphant smile on her face.

Misty was the first to spot her, running up she asked, "How is Ash, will he be okay?"

The nurse sighed wearily, "Yes, he will be fine. It's a good thing you got him hear so quickly though. He did have a broken rib like you thought, but it also punctured one of his lungs. If he had been without treatment for a couple more hours than he might not have made it."

Misty covered her mouth in horror. Brock had a stoic look on his face.

"Now, can either of you tell me how he came to be like this?" Nurse Joy asked.

The two gym leaders glanced at each other unsurely. "Were not really sure," Misty started.

"We were in the middle of a warm up session when something came crashing out of the woods," Brock continued.

"Bye the time we even realized it was there, it had already crashed into Ash's chest then flew off," Misty finished.

"Now that I think about it," Brock said, "I'm pretty sure it was a Pokémon. I saw this bright glow, almost like a Take Down attack."

Nurse Joy nodded, not remotely surprised, "This is the third time something like that had happened. However all of the other times were merely glancing blows, and not nearly as damaging as what happened to Ash."

Misty's eyes widened, "Are you saying that there is a wild Pokémon out there attacking trainers?"

"That's the suspicion, unfortunately whenever Officer Jenny searches the woods she can never find anything."

Brock nodded looking thoughtful, "If there are any more attacks like this then the league needs to be notified. They'll then send a Gym Leader or an Elite to take care of the problem."

"Its starting to get late out," Misty said, "Nurse Joy, can we get a couple of rooms for the night?"

She nodded and pulled out a set of keys from her desk, "Stay as long as you need," she said, handing a key to each.

"Thank you Nurse Joy," Brock said.

* * *

Ash awoke to find himself in a hospital bed. He tried sitting up, only to gasp as a sharp pain erupted in his chest.

'_Maybe moving isn't the best idea,'_ he thought.

'_Definitely not,'_ Bulbasaur said.

'_Nurse Joy said that you had a broken rib and a punctured lung,'_ Pikachu informed him.

'_Hmm, that complicates things,'_ Ash thought.

'_I can imagine,'_ Charmeleon said dryly.

'_I have an idea to speed up your healing,'_ Riolu said, _'Instead of trying to use Heal Pulse, focus your aura directly in your chest. It should seal up the lung and repair the bone since Nurse Joy set it.'_

'_That just might work,' _Ash thought, _'Here goes nothing.'_

Ash turned his attention away from his thoughts and onto the ever-present flow of energy that permeated every part of his body, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. He directed his sight to the injured part of his chest to determine the extent of the damage.

He was surprised to see a flow of aura had already formed and was actively working to speed up the healing process. _'Riolu was right!'_ he thought.

Focusing his willpower, he increased the speed and concentration of the aura present at the wound and laced it with the intent to heal and purify.

The affect was instantaneous, a gently blue glow covered the area and flesh, bone, and skin began knitting itself back together. Clotted blood and foreign stitches began dissolving as veins and muscle became like new. After five minutes, he was completely healed.

Once his aura had returned to its normal flow, Ash refocused on the conversation his Pokémon were having.

'_It worked,'_ he thought.

'_I knew it,'_ Riolu said triumphantly.

'_Ash, open your eyes,'_ Pikachu ordered.

'_What? Why?'_ he thought back, confused.

'_Just do it, you'll see why,' _Pikachu said.

Ash opened his eyes, and groaned in annoyance. Staring at him in shock was the face of Nurse Joy. Behind her, Brock and Misty were looking at Ash in surprise with Pikachu sitting on Misty's shoulder.

"What…how?" she stuttered out.

Ash sighed as he sat up in bed. Prodding his chest, he smiled when there was no pain. Looking at Nurse Joy, he decided that the truth was his best option right now.

"I'm training to be an Aura Guardian," he said, "I was able to heal myself with my aura."

She blinked at this information, and then nodded. Aura Guardians were rare but not unheard of, especially by league personnel. The limits of their abilities were unknown; apparently this was not one of them.

She nodded, "Very well, let me just take a look at you to make sure that there are no complications and then you'll be free to go."

Half an hour later, Ash, Brock, and Misty were making there way back to the Pokémon Center lobby.

"I thought you said you couldn't heal yourself with aura?" Misty asked.

"I didn't know I could until Riolu suggested I try it a different way," Ash replied, "And besides, what I did with your cut was like a bastardized Heal Pulse attack."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," she said.

"So, do either of you have any idea what attacked me?" Ash asked.

"Maybe," Brock said, and he told him what they had discussed with Nurse Joy.

"I think I was hurt more because I was turning into whatever it was," Ash said, "I could sense something coming, but it was too late to do anything."

"Could you track it?" Misty asked.

Ash thought for a moment, "Maybe with Riolu's help I could."

"What could you sense about it?" Brock asked.

"I could barely sense it for a moment," Ash said, "but I think it uses magnetism to move."

"Hmm, maybe it was a Magnemite," Brock suggested.

"Maybe," Ash said, unsure.

"Excuse me Ash," Nurse Joy said, coming up behind them.

"Yes Nurse Joy?" he replied, turning to see her holding a small white package.

"Professor Oak sent this to you," she said, handing him the box.

"Thank you," he said, taking the box. He ripped it open and pulled out a familiar looking red device.

"A Pokédex?" he said in confusion.

"Why would Professor Oak send you another Pokédex?" Brock asked.

"I don't know," Ash said, "But he told me to call him as soon as I got the package so I'll go ask."

He made his way over to the videophones, leaving Brock and Misty to discuss there ideas. Ash dialed in Professor Oak's number and after a few rings, he answered.

"Hello Ash, how are you today?" he greeted.

"Just fine professor," Ash replied, "I got the package you sent me."

"Ah excellent, I bet your wondering why I sent you a brand new Pokédex," he said.

"Yeah, I already have a good Pokédex," Ash said, "What's the point in another."

"Well, this is your replacement Pokédex," Oak said, "and I've added a few extra features to make your training easier. I've also decided to increase your Pokémon carry limit from six to eight."

"Wow really, thank you professor," Ash said.

"Your welcome Ash, I've noticed that all of the times you rotated your Pokémon you have never sent your Pikachu or Riolu over. Now I'm sure you have your reasons but I'm not going to ask. You've shown me that you're a responsible trainer so I'm giving you this privilege. If I see that you are abusing it in matches of more than six or you can't keep up with eight Pokémon then I will not hesitate to restore you to six, understand?"

"Yes Professor, I understand," Ash said, "I'm actually traveling with a Pokémon Breeder named Brock and I've been letting him manage my Pokémon's diet as long as he tells me everything he does. He's also a great cook so I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have two more Pokémon to feed."

"That's excellent Ash, make sure you bring him with you next time you stop by, I have a few professional Breeders working here that I'm sure he would love to speak to," he said.

"I will Professor," Ash promised, "So what are the new features of the Pokédex and what should I do with my old one?"

"First, let me explain what your new Pokédex is," Oak said. "All beginning trainers are given a starter Pokédex like you were. Once that trainer has earned three badges, shows proper maturity in dealing with Pokémon, and possesses great potential, then the professor is allowed to upgrade them an Intermediate Pokédex.

"The most prominent features of an Intermediate Pokédex are that it allows me to increase your carry limit and it doubles as a portable Pokéball transporter. This lets you rotate you team on the go, meaning that you can keep a full team with you at all times and just send one of them back when you capture a new Pokémon."

"This is perfect, thank you Professor," Ash said excitedly, and then a thought struck him. "I suppose you gave Gary an Intermediate Pokédex too?" he asked.

"Gary? Oh heavens no," Oak said, "Just because he's my grandson doesn't mean I give him special treatment, no. He has in fact earned four badges now and has great potential but his cockiness ruins any chance he has of getting an Intermediate Dex. Don't tell him I said this, but I'll be surprised if he makes it passed the preliminaries of the Indigo Conference. Hopefully that will teach him some humility."

Ash blinked in surprised, "Wow," he said, "After all Gary brags about being the grandson of the Great Professor Oak! I wasn't expecting that. Don't worry Professor, your secret's safe with me."

"Thank you Ash," Oak said, "Now then, just place your old Pokédex in the box your new one came in and ask Nurse Joy to send it back to me, I'll take care of the rest."

"Will do Professor," Ash said, "and thank you for this, I promise you won't regret trusting me."

"I hope not Ash, for both of our sakes," Oak said, "Goodbye for now." He hung up.

"Well that was interesting," Ash said.

"**No kidding,"** Pikachu said.

Once Ash had sent off his old Pokédex and explained to Brock and Misty about the new one, he decided to test it out. Flipping it open, he was surprised when it immediately started talking.

**I'm an Intermediate Pokédex programmed by Professor Oak for Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. My primary function is to provide Ash with information and advice regarding Pokémon and their training. My secondary function is to act as a portable Pokéball transporter. Ash's current Pokémon carry limit is eight Pokémon at one time. All functions are voice activated. If lost or stolen, I cannot be replaced.**

"Alright umm, transport Charmeleon and Bulbasaur," Ash said. Instantly, the Pokédex started vibrating as its internal transporter powered up. A moment later, two Pokéballs appeared on Ash's belt.

"Cool, it works," Ash said happily.

Suddenly, something exploded outside. Instantly, Ash had a Pokéball in hand and Pikachu was by his side, sparking and ready for a fight. He closed his eyes and expanded his aura sight to try and see what was going on outside.

It was some kind of Pokémon, rocketing around and crashing into buildings and cars. Then Ash noticed that its aura perfectly matched the thing that had crashed into him in the forest. Even as he realized this, he knew that he had to be the one to capture it, just like he had to choose Pikachu as a starter.

His eyes snapping open, he came face to face with the worried faces of Misty and Brock. They each had a Pokéball in hand, good, his training had paid off.

"What is it Ash?" Brock asked.

"I don't recognize the species, but it's the same Pokémon that attacked me in the forest," Ash responded.

Misty gasped, "What's it doing here?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I have to catch it," without waiting for a response, Ash ran outside to confront the Pokémon.

The Pokémon was a silver robotic creature about two feet long. At the front was a single eye and it had three golden claws sticking out of its back end. He quickly pulled out his Pokédex, "Scan!" he ordered.

**Beldum, the Iron Ball Pokémon. A Steel and Psychic Type Pokémon, Beldum floats by emitting electromagnetic waves that repel the earth's magnetic field. They lodge their claws into cliffs where they sleep. Beldum is a genderless species that is only capable of learning Take Down naturally. Note, the unusual coloration of this Pokémon suggests it is a Shiny Pokémon.**

"Hey!" Ash yelled, using his aura to project his voice directly to the Pokémon, "I challenge you to a battle!" Since it was a Steel Type, Ash had Charmeleon's Pokéball in hand.

The Shiny Beldum whipped around when it heard his voice. Apparently it recognized him because its eye narrowed and it rocketed toward him with a Take Down attack.

"Ash be careful," Misty yelled from the sidewalk.

Letting aura fill his body, Ash spun out of the way at the last moment while releasing Charmeleon at the same time.

"Flamethrower!" he snapped.

Beldum whirled around again, already charging a new Take Down. As it came speeding towards Ash, Charmeleon jumped in front of it and unleashed a torrent of flames in its face.

"Belduuuum!" the Pokémon yelled at it was blasted back by the flames. It crashed into a nearby lamppost and knocked it over.

"Now get in close and use Metal Claw followed by Fire Fang," Ash ordered his Fire Type.

Charmeleon ran forwards, his claws taking on a metallic shine. Just as Beldum started floating back up, Charmeleon was on it. He slashed down with his Metal Claw attack, driving Beldum back into the ground. A moment later, the Fire Type's mouth erupted into flame and he bit down on Beldum's torso.

The Steel/Psychic Type yelled in pain as the super effective attack hit it. A moment later, it spun around and started charging a Take Down. It slammed into Charmeleon and sent Ash's Pokémon flying across the street.

"Charmeleon no!" Ash yelled as he watched helplessly.

Suddenly, a light blue glow enveloped Charmeleon and he stopped flying. Ash looked around to see a woman with dark blue hair, standing at the end of the street. She wore a pink spaghetti strap tank top that stopped just above her bellybutton and long white pants. Her eyes were glowing slightly and her hand was outstretched towards Charmeleon.

As Charmeleon floated back down to the ground, her eyes met his and he felt a slight pressure on his mental shields but they held strong. Her eyes widened slightly and she nodded to him, _'Do what you must young aura user, I will protect the citizens,'_ a voice echoed in the outskirts of his mind, just on the edge of his shields.

A moment later, she released a pair of Mr. Mime from their Pokéballs. They waved their hands and started chanting their name and a large barrier of psychic energy began to form around the two battling Pokémon and Ash.

Ash nodded back to her, turning back to the battle. "Charmeleon, use Dragon Rage!" he ordered. Charmeleon nodded and fired a burst of blue flames. The flames took the form of a roaring dragon and bore down on Beldum.

Beldum charged another Take Down attack and raced right into the Dragon Rage, splitting it in two. Ash, who's eyes were now glowing blue with his aura sight shouted, "Charmeleon, dodge to the right and use Metal Claw."

Charmeleon leapt to the side and charged up his Metal Claw attack. When Beldum erupted from the Dragon Rage, he flew right past Charmeleon only to be hit by the Steel attack.

The Iron Ball Pokémon was blasted to the side and crashed into the psychic barrier.

"Lets finish this Charmeleon, Flamethrower," Ash ordered, an empty Pokéball ready to be thrown.

Charmeleon unleashed a powerful flamethrower that enveloped Beldum. He could hear the Pokémon screaming in pain. The moment Charmeleon cut his attack, Ash launched his Pokéball at Beldum. It hit the Pokémon's side and it was absorbed into the metal sphere.

The Pokéball rocked once

…twice

…three times

It suddenly popped back open and Beldum reappeared looking angrier than ever. It instantly charged up a Take Down and rocketed towards Charmeleon. The Fire Type barely had time to jump out of the way as Beldum flew past.

'_We have no choice Charmeleon, time to use your new move,'_ Ash said telepathically.

Charmeleon nodded in understanding. He began focusing his energy and the flame on his tail started growing larger. At the same time, Ash reached into his backpack and pulled out one of his special balls, an Ultraball.

Beldum whirled around and came flying back towards Charmeleon, his Take Down just as strong as ever.

'_Wait for it…wait,'_ Ash thought, his eyes never leaving Beldum.

At the last moment, Ash shouted, "Now, Inferno!"

Charmeleon opened his mouth and unleashed a maelstrom of flames right in Beldum's face. The Steel/Psychic Type shrieked in pain from the super effective attack and was blasted back.

When Beldum landed, its body was suddenly engulfed in flames as the secondary burn effect took over. "Now is the time, Go Ultraball!" Ash threw the Pokéball at Beldum for the second time.

Again, it hit Beldum's side and the Pokémon was absorbed in a flash of red light.

It rocked once

…twice

…three times

…four times

Suddenly, the Pokéball dinged and fell silent, signifying a successful capture. "Yes!" Ash pumped his fist to the air.

Ash's Pokédex dinged,

**You have acceded your carry limit, please choose which Pokémon to transport.**

"Pidgeot," Ash said. A moment later, one of the Pokéballs from Ash's belt vanished.

Ash walked up to a panting Charmeleon while Pikachu ran over to pick up the Ultraball.

"Thank you Charmeleon, that was an awesome job," he said.

"**Thanks Ash,"** The Flame Pokémon said.

"Get some rest now," he said as he returned Charmeleon to his ball and hooked it up to his belt.

"**Here Ash,"** Pikachu said, handing Ash the Ultraball.

"Thanks buddy," Ash said to his starter as he took the ball.

'_What to do with you,'_ he thought as he stared at the black and gold ball. Deciding to deal with it later, he clipped the ball to his belt.

A moment later, the psychic woman who had helped him earlier walked up to him. The two Mr. Mime were nowhere to be seen so he assumed that she had returned them already.

"Thanks for the help," he said, holding out a hand, "My name is Ash."

She studied his hand for a moment before looking back up at him, "I am Sabrina," she said in a cool and controlled voice.

"Umm okay," Ash said unsurely, lowering his hand. "Wait Sabrina, as in the Gym Leader Sabrina?"

"That's right," she replied.

Ash smiled, "Then I challenge you to a gym battle," he said.

She looked at him silently for nearly a minute. "Very well," she finally said, "Come to my gym tomorrow at noon. It shall be a three-on-three single elimination match."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow," Ash said.

She nodded before vanishing in a burst of Psychic energy.

'_That is one creepy lady,'_ Squirtle commented. Everyone burst out laughing.

* * *

**Again, thank you all for being so patient with me.**

**For those of you wondering, the Shiny Beldum in this fic is the same one that is later found on Metagross Mountain in Sinnoh. I plan of revealing a bit of its history in the next chapter, I hope. Isn't it weird how stories just tend to write themselves?**

**Also the song is the theme song for Johto League Champions, the second Season in the Johto region for those who don't know. I thought it would work best for their training, don't ask why because I don't know.**

**Like it? Read and Review**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi everyone, I'm back and sooner than i thought yay! Anyway, I don't have much to say other than to thank you again for all of the wonderful reviews that you write me. Keep 'em coming.**

* * *

Ash stood in a secluded clearing, deep in the woods that surrounded Saffron City. It was around 5:00 in the morning, and the young trainer had snuck out early in order to deal with his newest capture alone and away from civilization.

Standing in a circle around the trainer was seven different Pokémon. Pikachu, Riolu, Gyarados, Bulbasaur, Charmeleon, Haunter, and Zorua. Each of them were tense and ready for a battle.

"Are you guys ready?" Ash asked the Pokémon. Each one of them nodded, ready to defend their trainer.

"Well, here goes nothing," he said and released his new Beldum.

The Pokémon appeared in a flash of blue light, appearing perfectly calm. It floated around in a circle, observing all of the Pokémon surrounding it. It then turned and stared at Ash for a full minute.

Ash stood firm and unwavering, Beldum was his Pokémon now and he wouldn't stand for behavior like yesterday.

"Beldum," if finally said with finality.

Ash blinked, he had forgotten that he couldn't understand Pokémon until he bonded with them.

Pikachu leapt up to his customary spot on Ash's shoulder. **"He said 'You'll do,'"** the Mouse Pokémon translated.

"I'll do?" Ash asked incredulously. "You mean to say that all of those attacks that you performed on traveling trainers then on the city was some sort of test?"

"Bell," the Pokémon nodded.

"**Yes," **Pikachu said almost unnecessarily.

Ash let out a sigh of exasperation. He looked at Beldum carefully, "Whenever I capture Pokémon, I bond to them with an aura bond. Do you understand what that means?"

Beldum's eye seemed to widen slightly, it was difficult to tell, before it nodded. Ash took that as a sign and walked up to the Iron Ball Pokémon.

Laying a hand upon the crest above Beldum's head, Ash called upon his aura and initiated an aura bond. Latching onto the Steel/Psychic Type's aura, he began weaving it and bonding it to his own.

Before Beldum had the chance to seal the bond however, Ash asked a question, _'Why?'_

Beldum was silent for a moment; Ash could feel that it was collecting its thoughts._ 'I wish to be strong, the strongest of my species. I realize that in order to be the strongest, I need a strong trainer. However most humans are weak and I only want to be captured by the strongest. I believe that you will be the strongest.'_

With that, Beldum sealed the bond, leaving Ash completely stunned.

"**So, how did you end up all the way in Kanto?"**Riolu asked, **"Your species is only supposed to be found in Hoenn and sometimes Sinnoh**.

"**I'm not sure,"**Beldum responded, **"I was originally living on Metagross Mountain in Sinnoh. Then one day I woke up in this forest here. What about you? You're supposed to be a Sinnoh native."**

"**I was hatched here," **Riolu said then turned to his trainer,** "You know Ash, you never did tell us how you got me and Dratini."**

"It was really strange," Ash said, "I got your two eggs in the mail about a month or two before I left on my journey. I don't know who sent them, there was just a note that was signed 'A friend.'"

"**That's really weird," **Haunter commented.

"Well, enough chitchat," Ash ordered, "Charmeleon, I want you and Bulbasaur to break in our newest recruit. You three that will be battling later today, I want you to do the basic workout, no use risking an injury. Everyone else, I want to see some training!" All of the Pokémon got to work.

An hour later, Brock and Misty came into the clearing, having been able to track Ash down due to his training them the previous week.

As it neared 11:00, Ash called everything to a halt and returned everybody. The trio then made their way back to the Pokémon center. Once Nurse Joy had restored all of Ash's Pokémon, he made his way over to the Saffron Gym with Brock and Misty right behind him.

"Do you think you're ready for this battle Ash?" Brock asked as they made their way to the Gym.

Ash let out a sigh, "To be honest, I'm kind of nervous. Rock, Water, and Electric types are one thing, but Psychic types are something else. I'm going to need to be careful 'cause she's going to make me work really hard for this badge."

"Well, I'm glad you're not letting your undefeated status go to your head," Misty commented lightly.

"I'm not undefeated," Ash replied, "This guy named Steven beat Gible and I on board the St. Anne."

"Really?" Misty said in surprise, then she grinned, "Well I guess you learn something new everyday."

"Ha ha, you're hilarious," Ash said.

"Guys please don't start now," Brock pleaded. "Hey look there's the gym!"

Brock was pointing at a large building up ahead with the international gym symbol on it (AN: Look up Gym on Bulbapedia to see).

Entering the building, they were surprised to see it looked completely empty. Ash activated his aura sight and a perfect schematic of the whole building filled his mind. He could see several rooms filled with people, all wearing lab coats.

"It's a school," Ash said as he led them to a door around the corner, "A school for Psychics to learn to control their powers." Inside, they could see several people trying to use Telekinesis on spoons or attempting remote viewing on cards.

"Really?" Brock asked, interested, "What do you know about Psychics, is it anything like aura?"

"Its actually a subcategory of aura," Ash explained, "First, at least one of your aura types needs to be Psychic. Then you train your mind to focus your aura so it's only Psychic. Then you can learn how to use telekinesis or telepathy. The amount of power you are able to exert depends on how many types your aura has and mental strength. If you have a lot of types, then it's harder to focus on just the Psychic Type."

"Interesting," Brock said, looking thoughtful.

"You told me that your Aura is all types," Misty said, "Does that mean that you can't focus on a single one?"

"Normally that would be right," Ash said, "But I also have what's called the Guardian Aura. The same kind of aura that the official Aura Guardians harness. This gives me more control and power than the average person. With enough training, I will be able to use any of my elements just as well as someone with a single element.

"In fact," He continued, "you guys are pretty lucky I did do my Guardian training, without it I would be this bi-polar, egotistical, rash, lazy, impulsive, childish, amateur trainer. Having so many types can really mess with someone's personality."

"I guess that is lucky, I don't think I would have been able to stand having to travel with someone like that," Misty said, "So, have you done any Psychic training?"

"No," Ash replied, "I can't focus on any individual types until I reach a certain point in my Guardian Aura training. However, Guardian Aura can do some basic telekinesis but its mostly about enhancing strength, reflexes, and senses. Some of the Master's can even use aura to create physical constructs."

"Wow, that's really cool Ash," Misty said.

"Come on," Ash said, "Sabrina is this way."

He led them deeper into the building, eventually coming up to a large set of doors. They each had a Pokéball symbol on them, and the Gym symbol was painted on the wall above them.

"I can sense Sabrina behind these doors," Ash said, "Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure that her aura is pure Psychic type."

Ash pushed the doors open and confidently walked into the room beyond. Just as he thought, it was a battlefield. Sabrina stood on the other side of the field, her face an expressionless mask. Floating above her were three Pokéballs, they were orbiting her head like a moon orbits a planet.

"**That's really creepy,"** Pikachu stated.

'_Hey, that's what I said!' _Squirtle nearly shouted causing Ash to flinch.

'_Don't shout like that,' _Gyarados roared, _'None of us need a headache right before a battle.'_

'_Sorry,' _Squirtle said sheepishly.

'_Gyarados, you were louder than Squirtle,'_ Pidgeot said lightly.

'_Oh, oops,'_ the Atrocious Pokémon said just as sheepishly.

'_Ha ha,'_ Squirtle said in an annoying singsong voice.

'_Your lucky I'm not there you damn turtle,' _Gyarados threatened.

Doing his best to ignore his bickering water types, Ash stepped up to the trainer's box and nodded to the referee.

"Good luck Ash," Misty said. She and Brock made there way over to the stands to watch.

"Luck's got nothing to do with it," Ash replied, giving them a cocky grin. It was all an act however, designed to make Sabrina underestimate him and lower her guard, if even slightly. He couldn't tell if it was working or not.

"This will be a three-on-three single elimination match between challenger Ash of Pallet Town and Saffron Gym Leader Sabrina," The judge announced, "The match will be declared over when one trainer wins two of the three battles and declared victor. Substitutions are not allowed. Release your first Pokémon."

One of the Pokéballs orbiting Sabrina rocketed out to the field. It bounced on to the dirt and popped open, releasing a Mr. Mime. "Mr. Mime!" It challenged.

Ash pulled out his Cherish Ball, "Zorua, to the Battlefront!" he shouted, launching the ball out to the field. The Tricky Fox erupted out of the ball and started giggling evilly.

"Zorua vs. Mr. Mime. The challenger has the first move, battle begin!"

"Zorua Faint Attack!" Ash shouted.

"**Got it!"** he replied. The Tricky Fox Pokémon quickly ran down the field, nearly as fast as a Quick Attack. Ash waited for Sabrina to counter attack but she didn't say a word.

When Zorua was two feet away from the Barrier Pokémon, he vanished and instantly reappeared behind Mr. Mime. Suddenly, Mr. Mime whipped around with a glowing blue fist and punched Zorua in the gut. He yelped in pain as he was thrown across the field, landing in a heap in front of Ash.

Said trainer narrowed his eyes at his opponent, _'She's communicating with her Pokémon psychically, isn't she?'_

'_Yes,'_ Beldum confirmed, _'See the way her eyes are glowing?'_

'_All right,'_ Ash thought, _'if she wants to use her tricks, let's use ours. Are you ok Zorua?'_

'_I'm fine, but that hurt,' _Zorua replied.

'_Good, now get ready cause its time for me to go all out,'_ Ash closed his eyes and focused on the aura in his body. "The aura is with me," He whispered to himself. Suddenly, the whole room filled his vision, every crevice glowing in shades of blue.

Across the field, Mr. Mime and Sabrina were glowing with pink psychic energy and there was a tether of psychic energy linking them together. It was very similar to the blue aura tether that Ash could see linking himself to his Pokémon.

'_Dig,' _Ash commanded mentally. Instantly, Zorua burrowed his way underground and started digging his way towards the Barrier Pokémon.

Sabrina and Mr. Mime reached out with their Psychic senses, trying to detect the Dark Type, but it was impossible for them.

'_Come up from behind and launch a Shadow Ball,'_ Ash ordered.

Behind Mr. Mime, the Tricky Fox Pokémon erupted out of the ground, a Shadow Ball charged and hovering in front of his open mouth. **"Take this!"** Zorua launched the Ghost attack at Mr. Mime from behind. Mr. Mime, who'd turned around in surprise, took the ball of ghost energy right in the gut. "Miiiime!" it shouted in pain as it was blown back.

'_Quickly follow up with Incinerate!'_ Ash ordered.

Zorua breathed a small stream of fire at Mr. Mime. Suddenly a clear Barrier appeared in front of Mr. Mime and the Incinerate merely bounced off. A moment later, Mr. Mime formed a Shadow Ball between his hands and launched it at Zorua.

'_Dodge!'_ Ash telepathed. Zorua made to leap aside, but was to slow and the Shadow Ball struck his leg. Zorua collapsed to the ground with a yelp of pain.

Mr. Mime's fist started glowing with Ice energy and he ran down the field towards the downed Dark Type.

Ash grinned as a plan formed in his head, _'Fake Tears,'_ he said. Zorua stayed down on the ground and looked up at Mr. Mime with big watery eyes, tears leaking down his face.

The Barrier Pokémon slowed down and hesitated slightly about two feet away from Zorua, but that was all Ash needed to enact the rest of his plan.

'_Faint Attack!'_ Instantly, the tears vaporized from Zorua's face and were replaced by an evil grin. The Tricky Fox Pokémon leapt to his feet and vanished, reappearing a second later and crashing into Mr. Mime's unguarded back.

'_Finish it with Shadow Ball!'_ Ash ordered. Zorua whipped around and fired a Shadow Ball at Mr. Mime. The attack struck and caused an explosion that blanketed the field with smoke. Ash however could instantly see that Mr. Mime was knocked out.

Once the smoke had cleared away, the judge raised his flag, "Mr. Mime is unable to battle. Zorua wins!"

Sabrina stayed silent as Mr. Mime was returned to his floating Pokéball. Another Pokéball rocketed out to the field and released a green bird like Pokémon with white wings.

Ash blinked at the sight of an unfamiliar Pokémon. "Zorua return!" he returned the Dark Type to his Cherish Ball and clipped it back to his belt. Pulling out his Pokédex, he ordered it to scan the bird.

**Xatu, the Mystic Pokémon and the evolved form of Natu. Xatu is said to be able to be able to foretell the future with a high degree of accuracy, but it is unknown if its prophecies are correct.**

Ash nodded to himself as he put the Pokédex away. Pulling out his next Pokéball, he threw it shouting, "Haunter to the battlefront!" The Gas Pokémon erupted out of the Pokéball with a flash of dark energy.

"**Time to kick some Psychic butt!" **Haunter cackled.

"Haunter vs. Xatu, Begin!" the judge shouted.

'_Haunter, start off with Confuse Ray,'_ Ash ordered.

Haunter created six glowing orbs of golden energy and the started floating around his body. He then brandished his hands and launched them at Xatu and they started orbiting the Mystic Pokémon. All six orbs attached themselves to Xatu before glowing brightly and exploding.

Xatu began swaying slightly and its eyes became even more unfocused.

'_Did you see that?'_ Squirtle suddenly asked.

'_See what?'_ Ash asked.

'_I swear I say Xatu's eyes flash just before the Confuse Ray hit,'_ he explained.

Under normal circumstances, Ash might have ignored his prankster Water Type, but Squirtle had learned long ago never to joke during battles or training. It wasn't pretty.

'_Any idea what it was?'_ Ash asked. All of the Pokémon replied negative.

'_I recommend caution,'_ Beldum advised, _'Psychic Types are difficult to predict and can be very tricky to battle.'_

'_Understood,'_ Ash replied, _'Haunter, keep an eye out. Shadow Ball!'_

'_You got it,' _he replied. Brining his hands together, the Ghost/Poison Type formed a ball of Ghost Type energy and launched it at the confused Mystic Pokémon.

Xatu didn't even seem to realize it was under attack until it suddenly vanished in a flash of bright light, reappearing two feet to the right. The Shadow Ball sailed passed it harmlessly.

'_It teleported,'_ Ash thought in annoyance, _'lets see if it can avoid a Shadow Punch.'_

Haunter's hands became enveloped in shadows and he launched them at the Mystic Pokémon like rockets. Xatu vanished again, only this time to reappear behind Haunter, causing the Gas Pokémon to turn around in surprise.

'_It teleported again,' _Ash thought incredulously, _'how could it teleport twice in a row while confused?'_

"**Look out!" **Pikachu suddenly shouted. Ash looked on in horror as Haunter's Shadow Punch, which had reversed course to follow Xatu, nailed Haunter right in the back.

Haunter crashed down to the floor while his Shadow Punch continued on and hit Xatu in the chest. The Mystic Pokémon skidded back from the super effective attack, but otherwise seemed unaffected.

Suddenly, Haunter started screaming in pain as his body glowed brightly. Ash instantly knew what was going on.

'_Shit!'_ he swore, '_Xatu used Future Sight just before it was hit with the Confuse Ray.'_

Xatu suddenly started moving. It brought its wings together and a mass of blue and purple energy formed between them before launching itself at Haunter. It was a Psyshock attack.

"Haunter, look out!" Ash shouted. But Haunter was still recovering from the Future Sight and wasn't able to move in time. The Psyshock attack crashed into the Gas Pokémon and exploded, sending Haunter flying into the gym wall. He crashed to the ground with swirls in his eyes.

"Haunter is unable to battle, Xatu wins!" the judge announced.

"Return Haunter," The Gas Pokémon vanished back into his Dusk Ball. Ash stared at Sabrina as she silently returned her Xatu. A moment later, her third Pokéball rocketed out to the field and released a Kadabra.

Ash gasped when he saw the Pokémon. Still using his aura sight, he could tell that it was really strong. It had an exceptionally strong bond with Sabrina; it might have even been her starter Pokémon.

'_Are you ready to do this buddy?'_ he asked, pulling out his final Pokéball.

'_Always,' _he replied.

"Here goes nothing, Riolu, to the battlefront!" he threw the Pokéball out to the field. In a flash of blue light, the Emanation Pokémon appeared, ready for battle.

* * *

"Riolu?" Misty asked incredulously, "Has he lost his mind, he's using a Fighting Type in a Psychic Gym!"

Brock looked thoughtful as he studied the field. "That Kadabra looks really powerful. I suspect that Ash is going for power in this battle and Riolu has been with Ash since day one."

"Well, if he's going for power, why not use Gyarados?" Misty asked.

"Gyarados isn't nearly as fast and maneuverable as Riolu is," Brock explained, "besides, Ash prefers not to use powerhouses like Gyarados unless it against another large Pokémon."

"Oh, I guess," Misty said, "But he could still choose something other than a Pokémon with a glaring weakness."

"We'll see what happens," Brock said, "Ash probably has a plan for Riolu."

Misty sighed and nodded.

* * *

"Riolu vs. Kadabra, Begin," The Judge shouted.

This time it was Kadabra who was the first to move. It eyes flashed red and it fired a multicolored beam of energy, a Psybeam, at Riolu.

'_Dodge, then use Quick Attack!'_ Ash ordered.

Riolu leapt out of the way of the Psybeam attack and ran down the field at full speed with a trail of white energy. It crashed into Kadabra, sending the Psi Pokémon skidding.

Kadabra reacted almost instantly, whipping around and punching Riolu in the gut with a Fire Punch.

'_Trap it, then use Circle Throw!' _Riolu grabbed the fist, and then fell on his back, throwing Kadabra over his head. Two feet from hitting the ground, Kadabra vanished, teleporting a safe distance away from Riolu.

The Psi Pokémon brought its spoon to bear and its eyes started glowing. Riolu was covered in a blue light and he screamed in pain.

'_Pulse your aura to disrupt the Psychic,'_ Ash ordered. Riolu's eyes flashed as he pulsed his aura through his body, causing the attacks hold on him to waver. Taking advantage, Riolu vanished in a blur as he used Agility to escape.

'_Now use Dig!'_ Ash ordered. Riolu dove into the ground, digging his way towards Kadabra. A moment later, he burst out of the ground right behind the Psi Pokémon.

'_Time for our secret weapon, Shadow Claw!'_ Ash told his Pokémon.

Riolu's arm became covered in a black aura with a purple outline that took the form of a large claw. He slashed his paw down on Kadabra's back, and the Psi Pokémon cried out with pain.

'_Again!'_ Riolu slashed at Kadabra again, knocking it down.

'_Again!'_ Riolu brought his arm down again on the downed Psychic type. Kadabra cried out in pain as the attack hit. Suddenly, his eyes flashed in anger and Riolu started glowing.

The Emanation Pokémon was flung into the air. Before he could break free of the Psychic attack, he was flung down and slammed into the ground.

Both Pokémon were panting now, glaring at each other, refusing to back down.

"Ash," Sabrina suddenly said. Ash looked up in surprise, she was smiling at him. "You have fought well, I don't think I've had such an enjoyable Gym battle in a long time. You have proven yourself to be a worthy trainer, and I shall be sorry when our battle is over. But for now, I think its time to take this battle to a new level, can you feel it as I can?"

Ash frowned at her words, unsure what she meant. He extended his aura senses to encompass the entire field, searching for meaning. Suddenly he gasped; in both Pokémon he could sense a familiar build up of energy. Riolu glanced back at him and smirked, confirming his theory.

Ash looked back and Sabrina and smiled, "I can sense it, and I quite agree," he told her.

She nodded approvingly, "Then let it begin."

As soon as she said it, both Riolu and Kadabra burst into a bright blue and white light.

Riolu started growing taller. His ears lengthened and the two appendages on his head doubled into four. His legs and arms grew longer and the bumps on the back of his paws burst out into sharp round spikes, with a third spike growing out of his chest.

Kadabra also grew taller. Its face flattened slightly and its mustache grew longer. Its tail vanished as its legs and arms grew thicker with a second spoon forming in its other hand.

The glowing energies burst away to reveal an Alakazam and a Lucario standing where Kadabra and Riolu once were.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex to scan his newly evolved Pokémon.

**Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu. Lucario has the power to detect their opponent's thoughts and actions by reading their aura. Upon evolution, Lucario learned the moves Dark Pulse, Metal Claw, and Aura Sphere. He has also unlocked the egg move Blaze Kick.**

Ash looked up at Sabrina to see her watching him. "Shall we continue?" he called out.

She nodded her acceptance. Instantly, Alakazam fired a Psybeam from his crossed spoons.

'_Dodge with Agility!'_ Ash ordered.

The Aura Pokémon vanished in a blur of movement and the Psybeam missed its mark.

'_Now use Dark Pulse!'_ Ash said.

Lucario formed a small purple orb between his paws and fired a wave of dark purple circles at Alakazam. The Psi Pokémon vanished, teleporting out of the way of the attack.

'_Track its aura and fire again when it reappears,'_ Ash told his Pokémon.

Lucario closed his eyes as the appendages on his head began levitating. A moment later, he whipped around and fired another attack to his left. Alakazam appeared right where he was aiming and received a face full of Dark Pulse.

The Pokémon screeched in pain as the attack hit and he was blasted back. Quickly recovering, he formed a Psyshock between his spoons and fired it at Lucario.

'_Counter with Aura Sphere,'_ he said.

Lucario brought his paws together and created a blue ball of aura and quickly fired it at the incoming Psyshock. The two attacks met in midair and exploded on impact. When the smoke cleared, Alakazam was nowhere to be found.

Lucario was about to close his eyes and search for Alakazam, when it reappeared right next to the Aura Pokémon with a hand on fire. He hit Lucario in the gut with a super effective Fire Punch before teleporting again.

He reappeared again behind Lucario, but this time Ash was ready. _'Combine, Endure with Counter,'_ he reused his strategy against the Zangoose on board the St. Anne.

Lucario closed his eyes as he endured the Fire Punch in the back. At the same time, his body started glowing red and Alakazam's fist swung around and it punched itself in the face.

"Kazam!" it said in surprise and pain. Acting on his own, Lucario swung around and slashed at Alakazam with a Shadow Claw, sending the Psi Pokémon across the field.

'_Good Job Lucario, now finish it with Dark Pulse,'_ Ash said.

Lucario fired a wave of purple circles at Alakazam. Too dazed to react, the Psychic Type took the full attack. Once it was over, he slumped back with swirls in his eyes.

"Alakazam is unable to battle, Lucario is the winner!" the referee announced, "With two wins, Ash of Pallet Town is the victor."

"We did it!" Ash said in excitement. He quickly ran out to the field and hugged his Lucario, being careful to mind the spike on his chest. "Awesome job Lucario, thank you."

Lucario nodded, **"Thank **_**you**_** Ash," **he said. Ash smiled and returned Lucario to his Pokéball.

"Well done Ash," a voice said. Ash looked up to see Sabrina standing in front of him. "You've performed beyond any expectations I might have made yesterday. You have certainly earned this badge."

She held up her palm to reveal a small badge in her hand. It had a very simple design, a gold colored circular badge with another circle embedded inside of it.

"Thank you, that was a great battle," Ash said as he took the badge, "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to…I mean, why did you…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Why was I acting like the stereotypical creepy silent psychic?" she asked grinning. Ash nodded sheepishly. "Its an act that I put on to intimidate challengers, keeps them on their toes so they either chicken out or give me a real battle."

"Oh, well it certainly works," Ash said, this smiling Sabrina was even creepier after the silent Sabrina.

"I'm sure," she said, eyeing him with a knowing look. "Good luck on earning the rest of your badges."

"Thanks," Ash said, and he started making his way out of the gym. At the doors, he met up with Brock and Misty.

"Congratulations Ash!" Misty said.

"That was an incredible battle," Brock said.

"Thanks guys," Ash said, "Lets go, I need to get Haunter to the Pokémon center."

They nodded and followed him out.

As he was walking away, he felt Sabrina at the edge of his mind again. _'You will be a powerful Aura Guardian one day,'_ she said,_ 'Do not waver in your journey, for your destiny demands nothing less.'_

Ash whirled around, and suddenly found himself, Brock, and Misty standing in front of the Saffron City Pokémon center.

"Whoa, how did we get here?" Misty asked in surprise.

"Sabrina must have teleported us," Brock deduced.

"You got it Brock," Ash said. He was thinking hard, wondering what Sabrina meant about his destiny. He doubted she would let him go back and ask her. He wasn't nearly powerful enough personally to defeat a Psychic of her caliber.

"Ash," Misty said, "where did you get that egg?"

Ash blinked at Misty's sudden question. He looked down in his arms in surprise; he was holding an incubator with an egg inside of it.

"I don't know," Ash said. He cautiously felt the egg with his aura, "but I think Sabrina did it, I can sense residual Psychic energy on it."

"Wow, I wonder why she gave you an egg?" Misty said.

"You should take that to Nurse Joy for a thorough checkup," Brock said.

Ash nodded, "Right," he said. He hurried into the Pokémon center to hand the egg and his three Pokémon over to Nurse Joy.

* * *

It was nearing midday as Ash, Brock, and Misty finished an intense training session. They'd been on the road for two day's now, training all morning long and traveling in the afternoon.

Spotting a telephone box nearby, Ash decided to call Professor Oak while Brock made lunch.

"Good morning Ash," Oak greeted, "How are you doing today?"

"Just fine Professor, I just thought I'd call and let you know that I earned my fourth badge," Ash said.

"Excellent work," Oak said, "However, your behind the rest of this year's Pallet trainers, I found out this morning that they all have five badges and have passed through Celadon City."

Ash just shrugged at this information, "I probably take more time to train everyday than they do, so I don't travel as fast. Also Gary is in that car, kind of difficult to compete with that."

"Hmm," Oak nodded conspiratorially, "Speaking of Gary, he's already captured thirty Pokémon as apposed to your twelve."

Ash shrugged again, "Good for him, I'm a bit more selective in what Pokémon I capture. I assume he's the type to capture everything he sees?"

"That's about right," Oak confirmed, "Not that there's anything wrong with that, its just a different way to train, he has a much larger variety of Pokémon to chose from when he battles."

Ash nodded in agreement, "I never said there was, it's just not my style."

Oak nodded, "Where are you calling me from by the way?"

"A phone booth on Route 7, I'm about two day's away from Celadon City," Ash said.

"Well, good luck in the Celadon gym," Oak said, "A word to the wise, the Celadon Gym leader, Erika, is famous for her perfumes. However, her gym trainers are also notorious for refusing battles to anyone who insults her perfumes. On the other hand, a gym leader risks losing their gym by refusing battles without good reason."

Ash looked thoughtful, "I'll keep that in mind professor, thank you."

"Goodbye Ash," Oak said and he signed off.

Ash hung up and walked back to his friends. As Brock handed him a sandwich, Misty asked what Professor Oak had to say.

"Well he gave me a warning about the Celadon Gym Leader and told me that all of this years other Pallet trainers have earned five badges," Ash explained.

"You don't seem very upset about it," Brock commented.

"I'm not," Ash said, "We're not exactly on a tight schedule and I probably take more time training then all of them."

Brock just nodded in agreement.

Half an hour later, the trio was packing up to start traveling again when a nearby explosion caught their attention.

"What was that?" Misty asked.

"Sounds like a battle," Brock said.

"Lets go check it out," Ash suggested. The other two nodded, swinging their bags onto their shoulders.

They ran through the route's rocky canyons towards the explosions. When they arrived at the source, all three stopped in shock.

"This is the last thing I expected to see," Ash commented.

Before them was a large field, with boulders littering the area. Squaring off in the middle were two very different Pokémon, a Nidorino and a Rhyhorn.

These two Pokémon battling in a rocky terrain like this is perfectly normal. The unusual part was that the Nidorino was a light blue purple color instead of the normal deep purple color; and the Rhyhorn was brown instead of the usual grey.

"Two shiny Pokémon in the same place?" Misty asked incredulously, "What are the odds of this ever happening?"

"I call the Rhyhorn!" Brock said, pulling out a Pokéball.

"Then I'll take the Nidorino," Ash said, smirking at Brock.

"Do you want to borrow one of my Water Types Brock?" Misty asked.

"Thanks Misty," Brock said, "But I'd rather use my own Pokémon."

Misty nodded, "I understand, good luck you two."

"Thanks Misty," Ash said. Together he and Brock crept out into the canyon and made their way behind the two Pokémon they were challenging.

As Ash walked, he pulled out his Pokédex. "Transport Haunter," he told it. A moment later, a Dusk ball vanished from Ash's belt.

Grabbing a different Pokéball from his belt, Ash thought, _'Bulbasaur, I'm sending you out since you'll be immune to any poisoning.'_

'_Got it Ash,' _Bulbasaur said.

Ash sat waiting while Brock got into position. When he saw the breeder signal him, he quickly stood up and shouted, "Nidorino, I challenge you!"

The Poison Pin Pokémon spun around and narrowed his eyes at him. "Bulbasaur, to the battlefront!" Ash threw his Pokéball, releasing the Seed Pokémon.

"Use Take Down!" Ash ordered. Bulbasaur ran forward with a glowing golden aura. He crashed into Nidorino, knocking the Pokémon over.

Nidorino however used this to its advantage, flipping his body around; he kicked Bulbasaur with both of his back feet.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf then wrap it up with Vine Whip!" Ash commanded.

Bulbasaur nodded and fired a barrage of razor sharp leaves at the Poison type. While the leaves distracted Nidorino, Bulbasaur extended its vines and proceeded to tie it up.

Ash could see a wave of purple energy travel down the vines, then dissolve when it reached Bulbasaur. _'I was right, its ability is Poison Point.'_

"Now use Mega Drain!" Ash said. Bulbasaur's vines started glowing brightly as he started absorbing energy from Nidorino.

Ash could see Nidorino starting to weaken, so he decided to end it, "Put him to sleep with Sleep Powder," he said.

The Mega Drain stopped and Bulbasaur released a cloud of light blue powder from his bulb at Nidorino. As soon as it touched the Poison Pin Pokémon, he fell asleep. Bulbasaur released his vines as Ash pulled a Moon ball from his bag.

"All right Nidorino, you're mine, go Pokéball!" he launched the Moon Ball at the sleeping Pokémon. It connected and Nidorino was pulled inside. The Pokéball rocked once…twice…three times, before it suddenly dinged a successful capture.

"Yes! Great job Bulbasaur," Ash congratulated, as he went to pick up the Moon Ball.

Bulbasaur smiled up at him, **"Thanks Ash, I think I'm ready now."**

Ash looked at him in confusion, "Ready for what?" he asked.

In answer, Bulbasaur started glowing with bright white and blue energy. He grew larger and little fangs poked out of his mouth. His bulb opened to reveal a large pink flower bud and large green leaves grew out of the base. The glow burst away to reveal a newly evolved Ivysaur.

"You evolved," Ash breathed in excitement. He pulled out his Pokédex and ordered it to scan Ivysaur.

**Ivysaur, the Seed Pokémon and the evolved form of Bulbasaur. The bud on its back absorbs nutrients from the sun and grows larger. If the bud on its back starts to smell sweet, it is evidence that the large flower will soon bloom. Upon evolution, Ivysaur learned Seed Bomb, and Sludge Bomb.**

Ash knelt down and hugged his new Ivysaur, "That's awesome Ivysaur, I'm so proud of you. Take a good rest now, return." Ivysaur beamed at him happily as he was absorbed back into the Pokéball.

Ash started making his way back towards Misty; he noticed that Brock had already captured the Rhyhorn. As he walked, he scanned his new Pokémon with the Pokédex.

**Nidorino, the Poison Pin Pokémon and the evolved form of Nidoran . Nidorino has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might. Nidorino are an all male species. This Nidorino has the ability Poison Point. He knows the moves Peck, Poison Sting, Double Kick, and Horn Attack. Note, the unusual coloration of this Pokémon suggests it is a shiny Pokémon.**

"Hey Brock," Ash greeted as he met up with the breeder, "how did the battle go?"

"Pretty good," Brock said, "Rhyhorn was down after two Iron Tails from Onix."

They met up with Misty, "Those were both good battles," Misty said, "Congratulations on Bulbasaur evolving."

"Thanks Misty," Ash said, "Are you guys ready to go? I want to get to Celadon City soon."

They nodded and set off.

* * *

"What's that smell?" Misty asked, sniffing the air.

"Its heavenly," Brock added.

Ash used his aura to increase his sense of smell, "It smells like perfume," he said.

'_Didn't the professor say that the gym leader makes perfume?' _Ivysaur asked.

'_That's right,' _Ash said, _'Maybe if we can track it, we'll find the Gym.'_

'_Heads up Ash,' _Pikachu said, _'Brocks on the trail.'_

Ash whipped around to see Brock running off, trailing the perfume smell. Ash and Misty followed him to a little perfume shop where they found him with his face planted against the window.

Misty sighed in exasperation while Ash looked at him in amusement.

'_He's never getting a girlfriend it he keeps acting like that,'_ Ash thought.

As Ash followed Misty into the store, he was immediately assaulted by a cacophony of scents. His mind started going into sensory overload and he grasped his head as it started pounding with a migraine.

"Are you alright Ash?" Misty asked in concern.

"Give me…a sec," he gasped as he sunk to the floor. Even as he said it, thirteen Pokémon entered his mind and started helping him sort through all of the different scents. The process took less than a minute and by the time it was done he was gasping on the floor, his headache dissipating.

"Are you alright kid?" a new voice asked. He looked up to see a dark haired woman kneeling next to him and looking down at him in concern.

"Yeah, I'm alright now," he said, making his way back to his feet.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," Ash said, "My nose can be a bit hypersensitive at times. All of the scents in this room, which are lovely by the way, hitting me all at once was a bit too much to handle. But now that I've absorbed it all, I should be alright."

"Alright, but you should be more careful next time," she said.

"I will, and thank you," Ash said, "My name is Ash, I'm a Pokémon Trainer from Pallet town."

"And I'm Misty, from Cerulean," Misty said, "That's Brock," she pointed toward the breeder whose face was still pressed against the window with a dazed expression.

The woman giggled at Brock's expression, "My name is Erika," she said, "I'm the Celadon Gym Leader and this is my perfume shop." She looked to Ash, "Are you here to challenge me to a battle?"

Ash nodded, "Yes ma'am, I am."

"Then follow me," she walked out and headed down the street with Ash following. Misty stopped just long enough to grab Brock by the ear and drag him along, hopping and moaning.

Erika lead them to a large building shaped very similar to a Gloom.

"I take it you like Gloom," Ash commented, staring at the gym.

"Yes, my Gloom is very precious to me," she confirmed.

She led them inside and to a large battlefield surrounded by trees and shrubs. Erika walked over and stood in her trainer's box while Ash took the other. One of the women he'd seen working in the perfume shop stepped up to the judges box.

"This shall be a three on three Pokémon battle between challenger Ash of Pallet Town and Gym Leader Erika. Only the challenger may exchange Pokémon at any time."

"Its time to shine Tangela!" Erika threw out a Pokéball to reveal a blue tangle of vines with red feet.

"Alright Dratini, to the battlefront!" Ash shouted, releasing his Dragon Pokémon.

"The challenger has the first move, battle begin!"

"Dratini, start off with Agility to get close then use Thunder Wave!" Ash ordered.

Dratini vanished in a blur of movement and reappeared right next to Tangela. He unleashed a wave of low-level electricity on Tangela and paralyzed the Vine Pokémon.

"Oh no Tangela!" Erika cried, "Quick use Vine Whip while its close!"

Tangela extended one of the many vines on its body and started whipping Dratini.

"**Ouch, ouch! Stop that!"** The Dragon Pokémon cried.

"Use Twister!" Ash ordered.

Dratini twisted its body around and formed a cyclone of wind that blasted Tangela back.

"Now, finish it with Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.

Dratini took a deep breath and fired a blast of flame directly at the Vine Pokémon.

"Tangela, get out of the way!" Erika yelled.

Tangela tried to move, but at that moment the paralysis activated and froze it. It watched helplessly as the flamethrower enveloped it and knocked it out.

"Tangela is unable to battle, Dratini wins!" the judge announced.

"Tangela return," Erika recalled her fallen Pokémon. She grabbed another Pokéball, "Weepinbell go!"

The Flycatcher Pokémon appeared on the field with a flash of blue and white light. "Beelll!" it said determinedly

"This should be easy!" Erika said, "Weepinbell, use Razor Leaf!"

Weepinbell started spinning and fired multiple razor sharp leaves at Dratini.

"Protect," Ash snapped.

Instantly a green shield of energy appeared around Dratini and all of the Razor Leaves bounces off.

"Now use Dragon Rage!" Ash ordered.

Dratini fired a dark blue wave of energy that took the shape of a dragon. It rushed down the field and crashed into Weepinbell, knocking it out.

"Weepinbell is unable to battle, Dratini wins!" the judge announced.

"Oh dear, Weepinbell return," Erika returned her fallen Pokémon.

She looked up at her opponent, "Your battle skills are impressive Ash, but there's one thing you don't have and without it you'll never become a great Pokémon trainer like me."

Ash snorted internally, _'Humble much?'_ he sensed his Pokémon agreeing with him.

"Empathy with your Pokémon!" Erika exclaimed.

Ash stiffened, _'Is she really saying that I don't have empathy with my Pokémon? That is just below the belt.'_

"And now I'm going to give you a lesson in empathy, Gloom Go!" she threw her final Pokéball and released a Gloom.

Instantly, Ash whipped out his Pokéball and returned Dratini. _'You did a great job Dratini, but I'm going to need something special to handle this stench.'_

He pulled out a different Pokéball, "Pidgeot, to the battlefront!" Ash's majestic Bird Pokémon appeared with a flash of blue energy, already in flight.

"**Oh look, it's a little weed," **she said, looking down at Gloom, **"Do you want me to pull it Ash?"**

Ash smirked as Gloom started getting angry. Without any prompting, it pointed the top of its head at Pidgeot and sprayed a large amount of its stench at the Bird Pokémon.

"Get rid of it with Gust," Ash ordered.

Pidgeot started flapping her mighty wings and created a large gust of wind and clearing the air.

"Now use Air Slash!" Ash called.

Pidgeot's wings started glowing light blue and she gave them a few powerful flaps. Out of the wings erupted several saw disk blades of wind energy that went sailing down to Gloom.

"Gloom look out!" Erika shouted.

Gloom was too slow and the blades crashed around the Weed Pokémon.

"**And that's how you cut down a weed,"** Pidgeot said smugly.

However, when the smoke cleared, Gloom was still standing. It looked beat up and exhausted, but it was still ready for a fight.

"Alright Gloom, now lets finish this battle with Petal Dance!" Erika ordered.

Gloom pointed the top of its head directly at Pidgeot and fired a barrage of pink flower petals in a spiral pattern.

"Use Hurricane to blast it back!" Ash ordered.

Pidgeot's wings started glowing light blue and she flapped them powerfully. A gale force wind erupted from around the Bird Pokémon and slammed into the Petal Dance. The two attacks stalemated for a moment before the Hurricane won out and forced the Petal Dance back.

The two attacks combined and slammed down onto Gloom, causing an explosion to rock the gym. When the smoke cleared, Gloom was revealed to be unconscious.

"Gloom is unable to battle, Pidgeot is the victor," the judge announced, "The winner is Ash of Pallet Town."

Ash ran out to Pidgeot as she landed. "You did a great job, thank you," he said, petting her in her favorite spot: right at the base of her head crest.

"Return," she was absorbed back into the Pokéball.

Ash looked up to see Erika returning her Gloom to its own Pokéball. She stood up and walked over to him.

"Congratulations Ash, you beat me," she said, pulling something out of her pocket. "I present you with the Rainbow Badge as proof of your victory at the Celadon Gym."

"Thank you," Ash said, taking the badge. It was shaped like a flower, with each of its eight petals a different color of the rainbow, and at its core were four silver petals.

"I also want to thank you," Erika said, "I was getting arrogant in my battles, so confident that I would never win that I guess is went to my head."

"You welcome," Ash said, "It happens to the best of us."

"Good luck on the rest of your journey," Erika said.

It was a proud Ash that made his way back to the Pokémon center that night.

* * *

**I've put up another Poll on my Profile for you guys to vote on what the egg should hatch into. Please let me know what you guys want. Also know that every Pokemon on the list will be captured at some point, your just speeding up your favorite.**

**Thanks to UnitedOsprey1991 for the Sabrina/Erika Typo. It has been fixed now.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here it is, the next chapter. Thanks again to all of my readers and and for the great reviews. I hope you like this chapter, a lot happens. Also thanks to everyone who voted on my poll, it was really helpfull.**

* * *

Misty was fuming as she helped her friends pack up camp. The source of her anger was a Psyduck that she'd accidentally captured back in HopHopHop town.

You see, they had just helped Officer Jenny solve a case of missing children and lethargic Pokémon when Nurse Joy mentioned her worry about how a Psyduck in her care was always holding its head.

Brock, in his never ending love craze over all things Joy, offered to take it off of her hands. However, before he could capture it, Misty had tripped and a Pokéball had fallen out of her bag and landed at the Psyduck's feet, capturing it instead.

Being a water type trainer, Misty normally wouldn't have had any problems with this. However, this Psyduck was stupider than a brick, and continually tested her thin patience by merely existing and staring at her blankly.

Using his aura, Ash could tell that Psyduck had a lot of untapped potential, but no one had any idea how to access it.

'_Do you guys have any ideas?'_ Ash asked his Pokémon as he observed Misty violently shove Psyduck's Pokéball into her bag.

'She just needs to aura bond to it,' Gible said.

'That would certainly work,' Bulbasaur said, 'but does she know how to yet?'

'They don't have the right control yet,' Ash said, 'I don't think they could do it for another couple of weeks if not months.'

'What if you were to guide them?' Lucario asked.

'What do you mean?' Zorua asked.

'I mean, what if Ash were to use his aura to bind Misty's and Psyduck's aura together,' Lucario explained.

'That might be possible,' Nidorino said.

'Do you think you can do it Ash?' Zorua asked.

'I don't know,' Ash admitted, 'But I can try.'

"Hey Misty," Ash called going over to her.

"Yeah Ash," she said, having calmed down slightly.

"Can you call out Psyduck?" he asked, "I have an idea that might solve your problems with it."

She shrugged, "Sure."

Brock wandered over, curious as Misty went digging in her bag. "What are you planning Ash?" he asked.

"Lucario had an idea," Ash said, "He thinks I might be able to act as a third party and guide Misty's and Psyduck's aura into a bond."

"Is that possible?" Misty asked surprised.

"I don't know," Ash said, "Otherwise I probably would have done it for you guys a long time ago."

"So this is just an experiment?" Misty asked, "Is there any danger?"

Ash shrugged, "Only to me, and only if both yours and Psyduck's aura completely rejects mine. Which is really unlikely."

"Alright," Misty said, "Come out Psyduck." With a flash of light, Psyduck appeared with its usual idiotically blank expression on its face.

"I'm going to have Lucario help me," Ash said, releasing his Aura Pokémon, "Place your hand on its head," Ash told Misty.

Once she did, Ash and Lucario placed their hand/paw on hers and closed their eyes. The appendages on Lucario's head started levitating as they both accessed their aura.

Working in perfect sync, Ash and Lucario gently reached out with their aura. Ash latched on to Misty's aura while Lucario did Psyduck.

Working together, the two guardians in training gently interwove the two auras together, creating a bond. Once that was done, they retreated.

Lucario completely extracted himself, while Ash hovered on the edge of Misty's consciousness to guide her.

'Can you feel it?" he asked, ' the bond.'

'Yes,' she replied, 'but it doesn't feel right, somehow incomplete.'

'That's because it is,' Ash said, 'for the bond to remain permanent, both parties need to agree and settle it.'

'That is correct,' a new voice said, 'Thank you guardian, but I believe I can take it from here. Also you must be absent for us to settle properly.'

Only slightly surprised, Ash merely gave a mental nod and extracted himself completely from Misty's mind and aura.

Taking a step back, Ash smirked down at Psyduck's blank face. _'So that's his game,' _he thought.

"Did it work?" Brock asked Ash as Lucario moved to stand next to him.

"We started the bond," Ash said, patting Lucario for a good job, "Now its up to them to complete it."

"Does Misty know how?" Brock was eyeing them; at least Ash thought he was.

"Its…really more instinctual than anything else," Ash explained, "not something anyone can know how to do."

Suddenly, Misty's eye shot open and Brock stumbled back in surprise. Ash grabbed her arm to steady her while Lucario kept Brock from falling.

"I'm okay," she said. She was breathing heavily and staring at Psyduck.

"Did it work?" Brock asked again.

"Yeah," she nodded her head, "Ash, will you scan Psyduck, I want to know all of his moves."

"Sure," Ash said. He pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it towards Psyduck.

**Psyduck, the Duck Pokémon. It uses its vacant stare to lull enemies into a false sense of security, and then uses various psychic abilities when they least expect it. This Psyduck is male and has the ability Swift Swim. He knows the moves Tail Whip, Scratch, Disable, and Confusion.**

Misty nodded, "Thanks Ash." She reached into her backpack and pulled out five more Pokéballs. "Come out everybody!" she tossed all of the balls into the air and released all of her Pokémon.

Without preamble, Misty went up to Staryu and placed a hand in its gem core. She closed her eyes and knelt down in front of it.

"What's she doing?" Brock asked, turning to Ash to see his eyes glowing blue as he observed Misty.

"She's forming an Aura bond with her Staryu," Ash said, "I think she learned how to do it herself by default when we did the bond for her."

"Really?" Brock looked hopeful, "Do you think you could do the same for me?"

"Sure," Ash said, "call out your Pokémon."

Half an hour later, a very happy Brock and Misty were following Ash down the trail. All three, having mental conversations with their various Pokémon.

* * *

"Hey guys, look at this!" Misty was looking at a poster on the Pokémon Center billboard.

Brock and Ash walked up to stand beside her.

"The Pokémon Number One Grand Prix," Brock read, "A special tournament run by the Silph Co. specifically for Fighting Type Pokémon. Fully recognized by the League as a Minor Single Type Tournament."

"Hey that looks like fun," Ash said, "Registration starts tomorrow, I think I'll enter with Lucario."

"What about you Brock, could Geodude enter?" Misty asked.

"Under the old rules maybe," Brock said, "But since they reclassified the term, only Pokémon that are actually fighting types are eligible. Besides, Lucario would have crushed Geodude into dust."

"Thanks Brock, I think," Ash said, "Anyway, I'm going to go get some training in, you guys coming?"

"I'm going to give my Pokémon a break," Misty said, "Its been ages since I've taken a bath."

"And I've got a new recipe I'm working on for Rhyhorn," Brock said.

"Alright, see you later," Ash said. He walked out the door and made his way to the training fields out back.

"Come on out guys," Ash said, throwing seven Pokéballs into the air. With a bright flash, Lucario, Dratini, Charmeleon, Squirtle, Gible, Beldum, and Nidorino appeared on the field. Pikachu hopped down from his shoulder to join his partners.

"Alright Lucario, you've got a battle tournament tomorrow," Ash said, "I want you all to have individual mock battles with each other. Switch partners every fifteen minutes, half strength."

All of the Pokémon got to work, partnering up and throwing attacks at each other.

-Half an hour later-

Ash was observing a match between Beldum and Nidorino when a bright light on the other side of the field caught his eye. He looked over in surprise to see Squirtle glowing brightly.

He grew taller as small fangs protruded from his mouth. His tail and ears grew much longer and became covered in bluish white fur. The white energy burst away to reveal a newly evolved Wartortle.

"Great Job Wartortle," Ash said, happily. He pulled out his Pokédex and scanned his new Pokémon.

**Wartortle, the Turtle Pokémon and the evolved form of Squirtle. Its large tail is covered with rich, thick fur that deepens in color with age. The scratches on its shell are evidence of this Pokémon's toughness in battle. Upon evolution, Wartortle learned the moves Ice Beam and Water Pulse.**

"Excellent," Ash grinned, "We'll be sure to win the tournament tomorrow."

* * *

"Hi, may I help you?" the lady at the registration desk asked.

"I'd like to register for the P1 tournament," Ash said.

"Alright no problem," she said with a smile, "I'll need your Pokédex or alternate ID and the Pokéball for the Pokémon your battling with."

Ash pulled out his intermediate Dex and Lucario's Pokéball and handed both to her.

"This tournament is restricted to Pokémon that are recognized as at least part Fighting Type," she explained as she registered him, "During battles, only physical Fighting Type moves are allowed. Use of any other moves will result in immediate disqualification."

She handed him back his two items, "Your all set, good luck."

"Thank you," Ash said, he moved off towards the locker rooms. As he walked he activated the transporter on his Pokédex and transported all but Pikachu's and Lucario's Pokéballs. Pikachu would be sitting with Misty during the actual battling. Just before entering the Locker room, he called out Lucario.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"**Always,"** the Aura Pokémon replied with a smirk.

"Lets keep this fair, no aura," Ash decided.

"**Very well,"** Lucario nodded.

They stepped into the Locker rooms and observed the different contestants. Most looked like fighters, boxers, and people wearing a gi.

'_Hmm, I guess I mine as well look the part,'_ he thought. Setting his backpack down, he and grabbed a set of clothes he'd bought in Celadon City, then made his way towards a changing room. He came out a couple minutes later wearing a brand new outfit.

He was wearing a black shirt and jeans with navy blue stripes going down the sides of both. On top of that, he wore a ankle-length navy blue overcoat, left hanging open, followed by a blue guardian cap on his head. (AN: The kind of hat that Sir Aaron and Riley wear. Does anyone know what it's called? Its like a cross between an archer hat and a fedora.)

"Nice," he said, glancing in a mirror.

A few minutes later, one of the officials came in, "Will Ash of Pallet and Steven of Nimbasa report to the battle stage."

"Steven?" Ash wondered.

'_Isn't that the guy we battled on the St. Anne?'_ Gible asked.

'_Sure is,' _Ash thought, seeing his opponent coming up beside him. Standing next to him was a three foot tall orange Pokémon. It had a red crest, similar to a Mohawk, and yellow molted skin hanging around its neck like a hoodie. It also had similar skin hanging off of its legs and tail, looking like pants.

"Hey Steven, long time no see," Ash greeted, holding out a hand.

"Whoa Ash, how's it going? Nice outfit, I like it." They shook hands.

"Thanks, who would have guessed we'd be meeting so soon?" Ash asked.

"I know right, so are you ready for that rematch?" he returned.

"You know it," Ash smirked, "Good luck trying to beat Lucario and I."

"Thanks, but Scrafty and I don't need luck," he smirked. They shook hands again and made their way to the field.

As Ash stepped out to the field, tumultuous cheers from hundreds of fans that'd come to watch assaulted his ears. Looking at the field, he was surprised to see an old fashioned boxing ring.

"They weren't kidding about the Fighting Pokémon," he commented.

"In the red corner," the MC was announcing, "From Kanto's very own Pallet town, we have Ash, and his partner Lucario! And in the green corner, from Nimbasa City in the far off Unova region, we have Steven and his partner, the Hoodlum Pokémon Scrafty!"

The crowd erupted with renewed cheering as the Pokémon made their way onto the field.

Lucario leapt up and somersaulted over the ropes in a single bound. Standing in his corner, he lowered his head and closed his eyes to begin centering his aura and prepare for the upcoming battle.

On the other side, Scrafty had pulled his hood over his eyes and was quietly glaring at Lucario, trying to unnerve his opponent. That Lucario couldn't even see the glare didn't seem to matter.

"And it looks like both trainers are ready to go," the MC shouted, "Without further ado, let the battle begin!"

Instantly Scrafty whipped its hood off and rushed forwards, aiming a Low Kick at Lucario's legs. At the last second, Lucario's eyes snapped open and he leapt over Scrafty in a back flip, landing just behind the Hoodlum Pokémon. As he landed, his leg came whirling around in a Low Sweep and kicked Scrafty's legs out from under it.

"Get up Scrafty, use Brick Break!" Steven shouted.

Scrafty jumped back to its feet as its hand started glowing white. He rushed towards Lucario and karate chopped him in his side.

"Force Palm!" Ash shouted.

Absorbing the blow, Lucario brought a glowing palm up to Scrafty's chest and detonated. The blast knocked Scrafty to the side of the ring, disorienting it for a moment.

"Come on Scrafty, you can do it," Steven encouraged, "get up and use Hi Jump Kick!"

Scrafty managed to stagger to its feet, and shook its head to clear it. When it zeroed in on Lucario, its face grew angry and it leapt into the air. Its knee started glowing red-orange and it aimed down towards Lucario as it fell.

"Steady Lucario," Ash said, "Catch the blow, the use Circle Throw."

Lucario tensed at he watched the kick coming. At the last moment, his arms flew out and latched around Scrafty's leg. He absorbed the blow as he fell on his back and flung Scrafty over his head. Scrafty landed painfully on the other side of the field.

"Now finish it with Rock Smash," Ash ordered.

Lucario ran forwards as his fist started glowing orange. He punched Scrafty in the face just as it was standing back up. The power of the blow caused the hoodlum Pokémon to flip over and land on his face, unconscious.

"And that's it for Scrafty!" the MC shouted, "Ash and Lucario have started off this tournament with a bang. Don't go anywhere folks because the next battlers are coming out."

Lucario jumped off the stage while Steven returned his Scrafty.

"I guess were even now," Steven said with a smirk as they made their way back to the locker rooms.

"For now," Ash said.

"Your right," Steven said, sticking his nose in the air "Its only a matter of time before I beat you again."

"Ha, you can try," Ash returned. They stared at each other with haughty looks for a moment before they bursting out laughing.

Steven grinned, "And try I will, until next time," he held up a fist.

Ash bumped it with his own, "Good luck," he said.

Ash went to sit back down while Steven left.

* * *

"After many long and arduous battles, we finally come down to the finals. In the green corner, we have the favorite to win, the fighting machine Hitmonchan and its trainer Anthony of the fighting spirit gym. And in the red corner, we have newcomer Ash of Pallet town, who's stormed his way up to the finals with his amazing Aura Pokémon, Lucario!"

The crowd exploded with cheers as the two Pokémon leapt up to the field. Hitmonchan started bouncing on its toes, performing dry hits while Lucario closed his eyes and focused its aura.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Go Hitmonchan! Mach Punch!" Anthony ordered.

Hitmonchan's fist started glowing brightly as he rushed towards Lucario as fast as a Quick Attack.

"Absorb the blow, then use Low Sweep," Ash said.

Lucario crossed his arms and tensed as the Mach Punch hit him. He then lashed out with his foot and knocked Hitmonchan's feet from under it, sending it to the floor hard.

"Follow up with Brick Break!" Ash said.

Lucario's paw started glowing white and he brought it down towards the Punching Pokémon hard.

"Get out of the way," Anthony yelled.

Hitmonchan rolled away from Lucario and the Brick Break struck the floor, punching a hole in it.

"Now Hitmonchan, use Sky Uppercut!" Anthony shouted.

Hitmonchan rushed Lucario while its boxing glove glowed light blue.

"Dodge it with Circle Throw!" Ash ordered.

As Hitmonchan made to uppercut Lucario, he fell back and the hit flew over him. At the same time he grabbed onto the Punching Pokémon and threw him over his head, and sending him crashing to the floor.

"Hitmonchan, get up and use Focus Punch!" Anthony shouted.

The Punching Pokémon got to his feet and started charging a Focus Punch.

"Its time to finish this battle," Ash said, "Close Combat."

Lucario's eyes widened and his pupils dilated slightly. He rushed forward, spinning past the Focus Punch, and started raining a barrage of kicks and punches on Hitmonchan.

Once he finished, he leapt back and took a deep breath to relax. Hitmonchan collapsed to the ground in a dead faint.

"And that's it folks," the MC shouted, "Hitmonchan has been defeated, Ash and Lucario are the new P1 Grand Prix Champions."

Ash leapt up to the stage and lifted Lucario's arm to the sky. The crowd roared its approval as a judge came up and placed the golden Championship belt around Lucario's waist.

Brock and Misty came running up.

"Congrats Ash, I knew you could win it!" Brock said.

"Congratulations to you too Lucario," Misty said.

"Thanks guys," Ash said, placing an arm around Lucario.

"I like your outfit, by the way," Misty said.

"Thanks," Ash said, looking down at himself, "I might just keep it on."

"You should," Brock said, "It works for the whole aura guardian thing."

"I will," Ash nodded.

* * *

Ash, Brock, and Misty were making there way through a dense forest, trying to make their way to Fuchsia city.

"It shouldn't be too far from here," Brock was saying.

"Where is it?" Misty asked.

"Over the mountain," he said.

Ash blinked and looked around, "Which mountain, we're surrounded by them."

Brock pulled out his map examined it. "Maybe this way…maybe that way…or that way," he was muttering to himself.

Ash sighed, _'We're lost…again.'_

'_Well, it keeps things interesting,'_ Wartortle commented.

'_That's a matter of perspective,'_ Gyarados said.

"Hang on, there's a road here," Brock said.

"Then lets go," Misty said.

They started walking again, when suddenly an explosion shook the mountain.

"Whoa, what was that?" Misty asked nervously.

"It came from over there," Ash said, already running towards the source.

After running for a few minutes, they came across a large road covered with construction trucks. Up the road, they could see a massive dam being built.

Another explosion shook the valley, and they could see massive rocks being blown away from the mountainside.

Suddenly, one of the trucks near the front of the pack tipped onto its side, causing a massive pileup of all of the trucks.

"What a wreck," Misty exclaimed in shock.

"This is terrible," Brock agreed.

"Come on," Ash said, "Lets go see if they need any help."

The three of them went running down the hill towards the head of the pile up.

"**Ash,"** Pikachu said as they ran, **"I can hear Diglett below us."**

'_Are you saying they caused the wreck?'_ Ash asked.

"**Its too early to tell, but most likely,"** Pikachu said.

As they neared the first truck, a man came stumbling out. "I just can't take it anymore," he cried, pounding his fist on the ground.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked as he ran up to the man.

"It's the Diglett!" he yelled, "They are destroying everything."

"Are you sure it's the Diglett?" Ash asked.

"See they're right over there!" he said, pointing up the road. Sure enough, there were several Diglett moving around.

"Oh look at how cute they are," Misty gushed.

"You think they are cute do you?" the man shouted in fury, "Thanks to them we can't finish building that dam. Grrr, I hate Diglett, I hate them," he said, ripping apart his hard hat.

"That is a problem," Brock said in thought.

"They even created a special division for developing strategies to fight off the Diglett," the worker said, "They're calling for any able Pokémon trainer who's traveling through the area. Someone with real Pokémon knowhow who can help us get rid of these Diglett.

"The reward is a six day seven night stay at the famous Skyva hot springs resort. If you know any Pokémon trainers…"

He was interrupted, by the screeching of tires.

Ash's jaw dropped when he saw who was standing in the car. Gary Oak!

"The first Pokémon trainers have arrived," he said dramatically, "the rest are in these buses." He gestured to four large buses right behind his car.

Ash rolled his eyes, "You never change do you Gary?" he asked.

"Huh? Who are…well if it isn't little Ash from Pallet. What are you doing here?" Gary asked.

Ash scowled, "Your from Pallet too," he said.

"Well it must just be an unlucky coincidence," Gary said, "only the best were invited."

"Then how come you're here?" Ash asked.

"Me? Because I'm Gary from the town of Pallet. The number one trainer," he looked up to the sky as if the light from heaven was raining down upon him. He then pointed at Ash, "Ash is fourth!"

Ash raised his eyebrow, "and what makes you say that?" he asked.

"You were the fourth to leave home," he said.

"Fourth?" Ash demanded, "I got to the lab before you even woke up, just ask the Professor."

Gary hmmphed, "Fine, but as a trainer, your dead last. Now watch as I step up to the plate and hit a Pokémon grand slam." Around him, his fan club started throwing confetti.

Ash just stared at him incredulously.

"He's very…" Misty began.

"Detestable," Brock finished.

"So Ash, have you picked up any good Pokémon?" Gary asked cockily.

"You have no idea," Ash replied grinning.

"Can we please get to the business at hand?" The construction worker screamed, "Somebody's got to get rid of these Diglett. Don't forget, a resort vacation!"

"Don't give it another thought sir," Gary said, "Those Diglett are as good as gone now that Gary Oak is on the case."

"Do you always have to refer to yourself in the third person?" asked Ash annoyed.

Gary just got into his car and drove off, shouting, "So long losers."

Ash let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose to try and get rid of his Gary headache.

'_He's even worse than Squirtle was,'_ Gyarados commented.

'_Hey!' _Wartortle said indignantly.

"Sorry about that," Ash said to his friends, "Gary is Professor Oaks grandson, and it went right to his head. It doesn't help that he actually is really knowledgeable about different Pokémon because of Oak's private tutoring so he can usually back up his boasting."

"That sounds pretty annoying," Misty said.

"What happened Ash?" Brock asked, "You usually have a sharper tongue when dealing with annoying people like that."

"Gary is so full of himself that insults just go right over his head," Ash explained, "there's no point in even bothering."

"I see what you mean," Misty said.

* * *

The three friends were standing in the middle of a large crowd of Pokémon trainers. All were looking at the head construction worker as he spoke to them with a megaphone.

"We greatly appreciate all of you talented Pokémon trainers interrupting your training to come here and help us get rid of the Diglett." He pulled down a large sign that had a picture of a Diglett on it with an X through it.

"Pokémon trainers, here you see Diglett. The greatest parasitic Bug Pokémon of the century."

"Just a minute," Gary interrupted, raising his hand. "Technically, Diglett is not a Bug Pokémon. As a matter of fact, the term Mole Pokémon would be more appropriate. With a height of eight inches and a weight of two pounds, they're hardly candidates to be the greatest anything of this century."

"Diglett are also Ground Type Pokémon," Ash added, "Any attempts to attack them as if they were Bug types would end in failure. Also Diglett and their evolution Dugtrio are among the fastest known Pokémon in the world."

Ash smirked at the dirty look Gary shot him.

"They may seem to be week, but together they can destroy." The construction man suddenly gasped and started shouting, "It's the Diglett! It's the Diglett!"

Everyone turned to see several Diglett had appeared and were attacking the buses that the trainers had arrived in.

Gary ran out and said, "I'll take care of this." He pulled out a Pokéball while his fan club started chanting something about Diglett.

"Now everyone will be able to see the top Pokémon trainer in action." He kissed the Pokéball and threw it, "This should do the trick."

The ball landed out on the field burst open, but before the Pokémon could fully form, it returned itself. "Hey what?" Gary asked said in shock.

Ash narrowed his eyes, 'Something's not right here, Gible, will you go talk to the Diglett and find out why they are attacking?'

'_Sure,' _The Land Shark Pokémon said.

A Diglett suddenly appeared under Gary's Pokéball and brought it back to the Pallet trainer.

"Oh thanks," he said, taking it. Then suddenly he realized what was happening, "Wait, this can't happen!"

Ash grabbed Gible's Pokéball and tossed it, "Gible to the battlefront!" Gible burst out of his ball surrounded by sparkles of light. He landed on the ground digging and was instantly underground.

Gary was staring in surprise at the hole, "Huh? What on earth was that Pokémon?" he asked in shock.

"Wow Gary," Ash said mockingly, "Who'd of thought that there would be a day when the great Gary Oak didn't recognize a Pokémon."

Gary glared at him, "Fine, I'll just bring out my best Pokémon. You can handle it," he kissed the new Pokéball three times and threw it, "Go get 'em."

Again the Pokémon refused to come out of the Pokéball. "What's going on here?" Gary asked, he rounded on Ash, "How come your Pokémon comes out but mine refuse?"

Ash shrugged, "Its not that the Pokémon refuse to come out, its that they refuse to battle. I just wanted my Gible to talk to the Diglett so he came out. And here he is now." Ash looked down to see his Shiny Gible emerging from the ground at his feet.

Gary looked down at the Pokémon in shock; he'd never seen anything like that before. He pulled out his Pokédex to scan it while it jabbered its name at Ash.

**Unknown Pokémon. No data available.**

Ash smirked internally as he noticed Gary trying to scan Gible. The only reason he was able to scan it was because the Pokéball sent the data to his own Pokédex.

Once Gible was done explaining, Ash looked up at the Construction worker.

"When you finish that dam, what's going to happen to this valley?" he asked.

The man blinked at the question, "It's going to fill up with water, a new lake will form."

Ash pulled another Pokéball from his belt and released Lucario. "How many wild Pokémon can you sense living within this valley?" he asked.

Lucario closed his eyes and the appendages on his head started levitating as he scanned the valley.

Gary was going to have a heart attack. He'd tried scanning this new Pokémon but again there was no data. Just how many rare Pokémon has Ash captured? He'd also noticed the sparkle when the first Pokémon was released; it was Shiny.

"**Hundreds if not thousands," **Lucario reported.

"There are hundreds, possibly thousands of Pokémon living in this valley," Ash announced, he started to use his aura to project his voice to every human in the valley, "Many of which will lose their homes, even die if this dam is completed.

"The Diglett are just protecting their homes and way of life. Just over that rise is a massive garden that the Diglett and Dugtrio have spent their entire lives creating. Building this dam is not only illegal, according to League laws, but also immoral."

As Ash finished his speech, every person in the valley was staring at him wide-eyed. Then, as one, they all rushed towards where he'd pointed, all wanting to see if the garden was real. Ash followed along at the end, himself eager to see the beautiful garden that Gible had told him about.

When they reached the top of the rise, everyone let out a gasp. There were hundreds of Diglett and Dugtrio, plowing the ground, planting trees, and digging water trenches. All around, water and grass type Pokémon wandered the garden; watering the plants and helping them grow stronger with their spores.

Taking in his fill, Ash knelt down and started petting Gible. "Wonderful job Gible, thank you for you help," he said.

The head construction worker was staring at awe. He seemed to understand exactly the kind of destruction finishing his dam would do. He lowered his head in sadness, "This project is canceled, I won't build the dam. I doubt the Diglett would let me anyway."

Ash smiled, his mission accomplished. He sensed a pair of eyes watching him, and he turned to see Gary staring at him with a calculating look in his eyes.

"You know, I think I was wrong about you Ash," he said, surprising the Guardian in training, "You're a better trainer than I thought. But you still can't beat me."

Ash smirked, same old Gary, "We'll see about that. I'll see you at the Pokémon league, we can have our epic battle of legends there."

"That's a deal," Gary said, holding out his hand.

Ash shook it, sealing their pact. With that, Gary went back to looking at the garden.

Ash smiled at his rival and childhood friend, it would be nice to have the old Gary back. But he knew it would be a long road.

A very familiar beeping coming from his backpack interrupted Ash's ponderings. _'The egg!' _he thought in excitement.

Swinging it off, Ash reached into his pack and pulled out the glowing egg.

Gary, who'd seen the glow in the corner of his eye, looked at Ash in surprise. "Whoa, you have a Pokémon egg?" he asked.

"Yes," Ash replied, "And I need some space, its on the verge of hatching. Brock, Misty!"

They hurried to his side. Brock quickly pulled a blanket out of his pack for padding while Ash gently removed the egg from the incubator.

The other trainer's who'd noticed the commotion started crowding around, trying to get a look at an egg hatching.

Ash growled, "It needs some space, Gyarados!" He called out his massive Atrocious Pokémon and it roared, causing the crowd to back away in fear. Ash unfazed by the roar, called out his Wartortle, "Use your Ice Beam to make a low wall around us," he ordered, "Don't let anyone cross it, but they can still watch."

Wartortle fired an Ice Beam around the area, making a two-foot wall around them. Gyarados lay down along the edge of the wall, and growling at anyone who dare try and cross it.

Once Gary had gotten over the shock of Ash having a Gyarados, he realized what Ash was doing. "Yeah guys, give him some space," he shouted, "When a Pokémon hatch's, its trainer has to be the first thing it sees to imprint on them."

Once the trainer's heard Gary, they stopped clamoring to get closer, reluctantly agreeing.

'_Never thought I'd say this but thank you Gary,' _Ash thought.

He focused his attention on the hatching egg, waiting for the final phase to start. Suddenly, the glow brightened and it started growing, until it was a little over a foot tall. Arms sprouted from shoulders, while two horns grew on the top of its head. As the glow faded, the Pokémon looked around and focused its attention on Ash.

"Ralts?" the Pokémon said. It walked forwards and snuggled into Ash's chest.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" Gary asked, observing the Pokémon as Ash stood up. His Pokédex failed to give him any information again.

"It's a Ralts," Ash replied, "a Psychic Type normally found in the Hoenn and Sinnoh Regions."

"It is so cute!" Misty said, gazing at the little Pokémon in Ash's arms.

Ash rolled his eyes at Misty's antics, before focusing his aura on the little Pokémon in his arms to form an aura bond. It was easy as Ralts already imprinted onto him and immediately accepted the bond. Ash smiled as he pulled out a Pokéball and captured it, quickly sending Ivysaur to the ranch.

Pulling out his Pokédex, he scanned the ball.

**Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. It can use the horns on its head to read human emotions. Ralts rarely shows itself to humans, but may occasionally approach when it senses positive or happy feelings. This Ralts is Male and has the ability Synchronize. He knows the moves Teleport, Confusion, and Double Team.**

"How come your Pokédex scanned it but not mine?" Gary asked in annoyance.

"Since it's my capture, my Pokédex gets update for my new Pokémon, regardless of origin regions," Ash explained.

Gary humphed, "Alright Ashy boy, I'll see you around, nice outfit by the way," he said. Jumping into his car, Gary drove off, leaving a trail of dust.

Ash sighed, the more they change the more they stay the same.

* * *

"So where is the Fuchsia Gym anyway?" Ash was asking as they made their way through a dense forest.

"I can't believe there's a gym out in the middle of nowhere like this," Misty commented.

Eventually they came out into a clearing to see a massive ancient style mansion.

"That's weird," Misty commented, "A huge mansion out in the middle of nowhere."

"I didn't know any old houses like this still existed," Brock said.

"Well, at least we can ask directions to the gym," Ash said, walking into the courtyard.

He suddenly stopped and looked around, "Can you feel that?" he asked.

"What?" Brock asked.

"It feels like we're being watched," Ash said.

"There are hundreds of Pokémon in the forest around," Brock said, "Its probably nothing."

"Hmm, I guess you're right," Ash said.

They made their way to the front door and slid it open, "Hello, is anybody here?" Ash called.

"Is anyone home?" Misty called.

"It seems deserted," Brock said.

Misty suddenly leaned against the wall, and it opened causing her to fall through.

Ash spun around at her cry. Seeing nothing, he activated his aura sight and saw a passage behind the wall. "A secret door," he commented, pushing it open.

Misty was sitting on the ground, rubbing her but in pain. "What kind of messed up place is this?" she asked.

"It sure isn't your run of the mill mansion," Brock said, examining the passage.

Ash's eyes were glowing blue and he was looking all around. "This place is really messed up," he commented, "There are traps all over the building, invisible walls, is that room slanted? I can also see over a hundred Voltorb, all hidden in little grottos. Ah, there are two humans here, and a Venonat coming around the corner."

They turned to see the Insect Pokémon walk around the corner. Its aura resonated surprise that Ash knew it was coming, but also determination. "Venonat," It said, and then ran past them and into the mansion.

It turned around again, "Venonat!"

"**It wants us to follow it,"** Pikachu translated.

Ash told Brock and Misty what it wanted, "What do you think, should we or just leave and try to find the gym?"

"Normally I'd say leave," Brock said, "But we are hopelessly lost, our only chance of finding the gym might be asking these people."

"Can you make sure we don't fall in any traps?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," Ash's eyes started glowing blue again, "I can see them all, follow me." He walked off into the mansion.

As they walked, Ash pointed out different traps that he could see. "There's a Voltorb hidden under that panel…that corridor is just an illusion painted on the wall…there's an invisible wall down that hallway…that plank of wood has a pressure sensor."

He finally came to stop in front of a blank stretch of wall. "That Venonat is right behind this wall, and I can see a human in there too. Why is she crouching in the rafters? Wait, I sense the other human is standing in the next room."

"Ash, this place is giving me the creeps," Misty said, "Can we just ask directions and get out of here?"

Ash pushed the door open and walked in, followed by Brock and Misty. The room seemed empty, apart from the Venonat standing in the center of it, but Ash knew otherwise.

"Excuse me," he yelled at the ceiling, "Sorry to intrude, but can you tell us how to get to the Fuchsia Gym?"

There was silence. Ash frowned, "I know your up there, can you answer me please?"

His only response was barrage of throwing stars.

"Whoa!" Ash shouted. Reacting instinctively, he brought his arms up to cover his face, and a blue shield of energy suddenly formed in front of him. The stars hit the shield and bounced off.

Ash looked at the shield in slight surprise, he knew he could do it, but he hadn't yet figured out how. Until now apparently.

A woman wearing a pink ninja suit, dropped from the ceiling. She was looking at him in awe, "An aura guardian? How? I thought you were extinct."

Ash shook his head, "Not extinct, just really rare. I might be the only one living in Kanto at the moment. And why were you throwing stars at me? You could have hurt us if we had moved."

"I was surprised and annoyed that you knew where I was," she replied, "my humblest apologies. I am Aya, ninja warrior."

"Accepted," Ash said, "I'm Ash, aura guardian in training and Pokémon trainer, this is Misty, a water trainer, and Brock, a breeder in training.

"And you were hidden really well, but no one can hide their aura. Not even the man on the other side of that wall, listening in on this whole conversation."

Aya turned in surprise to see a wall slide away to reveal a man wearing a dark blue ninja suit, similar in color to Ash's overcoat.

"Greeting's Aura Guardian Ash," the man said as he walked into the room, "I am Koga, Poison Master of the Fuchsia Gym."

"Hello," Ash said, "If this is the Gym, then I challenge you to a battle for the Soul Badge."

Koga nodded, "Very well, I accept your challenge. The battlefield is in the courtyard." He went over to another wall, and opened a passage that lead out to a vast courtyard.

In the middle was a large battlefield. Koga went to stand in the battle box while Aya took position as judge. Ash went to his own box and ran a mental checklist of the Pokémon he had with him.

"This shall be a two-on-two Pokémon battle between Gym Leader Koga and challenger Ash," Aya announced, using the standard battle introduction, "Only the challenger is aloud to make substitutions. The battle will be over when both of either side's Pokémon are declared unable to battle. The challenger has the first move, battle begin."

"I shall start off with Golbat," Koga announced, throwing his Pokéball. The Bat Pokémon appeared with a flash of light, flapping its wings and ready for battle.

"Alright," Ash grabbed his Pokéball, "Gible, to the battlefront!" The Pokémon burst out of the Pokéball with a shower of sparkles and landed on the field.

"**I'm ready to rock and roll!"** he said.

"Alright Gible, start off with Sandstorm!" Ash ordered. Gible started waving its arms around, creating a Sandstorm that engulfed the battlefield.

The Sandstorm slammed into Golbat as it covered the field and started slowly draining its energy.

"Golbat, use Screech," Koga ordered.

Golbat fired a wave of sound energy that covered the field. Gible and Ash had to hold their ears from the pain.

'_Gible, use dig to escape,'_ Ash telepathed so Gible would hear.

Gible dug into the ground, and escaped the painful Screech attack.

"Now come up from behind and use Take Down," Ash ordered.

Gible erupted from the ground behind Golbat, as his body started glowing with golden energy. He sped forward and crashed into Golbat, causing it to crash into the ground.

"Poison Fang," Koga said.

Golbat's fangs started glowing purple and he twisted around to bite down on Gible. The Land Shark Pokémon yelled in pain as the powerful poison attack hit him.

"Get out of there," Ash yelled.

Gible wiggled free of Golbat and rushed back to Ash's side, using his Sand Veil ability to move faster.

Ash observed his Pokémon and noticed a purple hue on his face; he'd been poisoned.

"Gible return," Ash said, returning his Dragon type and causing the sandstorm to fade. He pulled out a new Pokéball and tossed it, "Wartortle, to the battlefront!" The Turtle Pokémon appeared in a somersault and landed on the field.

"Lets finish this quickly Wartortle," Ash said, "Water Pulse."

Wartortle formed a blue ball of water between his paws, and he fired it at Golbat. The Bat Pokémon tried to move out of the way, but its foot was caught in the Water Pulse and it exploded, drenching Golbat.

"Now use Ice Beam," Ash ordered.

Wartortle fired a beam of freezing energy at Golbat. It hit the water and flash froze half of the field, including Golbat.

"Now finish it with Skull Bash!" Ash commanded.

Wartortle rocketed forward with a silver aura covering his body. He crashed into the frozen Golbat and sent it crashing across the field. As the dust cleared, Golbat was revealed to be knocked out.

"Golbat us unable to battle, Wartortle wins," Aya announced.

"Golbat return," Koga said, returning the Bat Pokémon. "And now, Venomoth, into battle," he threw a new Pokéball revealing a powerful looking Venomoth flapping its wings.

"Venomoth, begin with Psybeam," Koga said. The Poison Moth Pokémon fired a powerful multicolored beam of psychic energy from its eyes at Wartortle.

"Protect," Ash ordered.

Wartortle withdrew into his shell and a green barrier of energy formed around him. The Psybeam hit and was neutralized by the Protect.

"Now use Aqua Tail," Ash said.

A Spiral of water formed around Wartortle's furry tail and he ran forwards towards Venomoth. He jumped and flipped over, bringing his tail down on Venomoth's head, sending it crashing to the floor.

"Venomoth, use Stun Spore," Koga said.

Venomoth started flapping its wings and released a wave of yellow spores at Wartortle.

"Use Rapid Spin!" Ash ordered.

Wartortle withdrew into his shell and stared spinning around at high speed. The wind held the Stun Spore back for a moment, but it was too powerful and enveloped the Turtle Pokémon.

"Wartortle, return," Ash recalled his now paralyzed Wartortle. "Gible, to the battlefront!"

Gible reappeared on the battlefield. It seemed to have recovered slightly but it was still poisoned.

"Alright Gible, use Sandstorm again!" Ash ordered. Gible started waving its arms around, creating a Sandstorm that engulfed the battlefield.

"Venomoth, use Psybeam!" Koga commanded.

Venomoth fired a multicolored beam of energy from its eyes at Gible.

"Dodge, and Dragon Rage," Ash ordered.

Gible leapt out of the way of the Psybeam and fired a powerful beam of blue energy from its mouth. The energy took the form of a dragon and crashed down on Venomoth.

"Venomoth, quickly use Stun Spore," Koga ordered.

Venomoth flapped its wings and released a wave of yellow powder at Gible, but the sandstorm blew it away.

"Gible, use Dragon Breath!" Ash ordered.

Gible took a deep breath and fired a pale green beam of energy at Venomoth.

"Counter it with Bug Buzz," Koga said.

Venomoth's wings started glowing red and it flapped them, creating a wave of red sound waves. They crashed into the Dragon Breath and stalemated. After a moment, the Bug Buzz actually absorbed the Dragon Breath and went flying back down at Gible.

"Dodge it!" Ash yelled.

Unfortunately, the attack was too large to dodge and it crashed down on the little Dragon Type. The energy caused an explosion that covered the field in smoke and dust.

The Sandstorm kicked up again and blew way the dust and smoke. Gible was standing on the field, glaring at Venomoth and breathing heavily.

"**I will not lose again!" **He roared and was suddenly enveloped in a blinding white light.

He grew several feet taller and his arms, legs, and tail grew longer. A long notched fin burst out of his back, followed by a smaller one on his tail. A long and sharp claw grew out of his hands and two more fins burst out of his arm. The light burst away to reveal a dark blue Gabite.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex to scan the newly evolved Pokémon.

**Gabite, the Cave Pokémon, and the evolved form of Gible. Gabite goes wild for precious jewels, first digging them up and then stashing them in its nest. Upon evolution, Gabite learned the moves Dragon Claw and Aerial Ace. Note, the unusual coloration of this Pokémon suggests that it is a Shiny Pokémon.**

Ash grinned, "Alright Gabite, awesome job!" he said. "Lets finish this battle. Use Aerial Ace!"

Gabite leapt into the air as its body became surrounded with white streaks and he rocketed towards Venomoth.

"Dodge it!" Koga ordered. His training caused him to always project a calm presence no matter the situation, but his aura was giving off waves of nervousness.

Venomoth tried to fly out of the way, but was to slow as Gabite crashed into him. Venomoth was sent crashing to the ground, and this time it didn't get up.

"Venomoth is unable to battle, Gabite wins," Aya announced, "Ash is the victor."

"Yes!" Ash cheered, running out to his Gabite. Before, he'd barely reached up to his knee, now Gabite was a couple of inches taller than his trainer. "That was amazing Gabite," Ash said proudly, hugging his Pokémon, "Excellent work."

"You have beaten me," Koga said, walking up. He pulled a scroll out of his pocket and unfurled it. Attacked to the parchment was a pink heart shaped badge with a line down the middle, "this soul badge now belongs to you."

"Thank you," Ash said bowing, he took the badge from the scroll and placed it in his badge case.

"I wish you luck in your training, young Aura Guardian," Koga said. He took a smoke pellet out of his belt and smashed it on the ground, covering the area in smoke. When it cleared, a coughing Ash looked around to see that the ninja siblings had disappeared.

"Where'd they go?" Brock asked, walking up.

Ash peered around with glowing blue eyes. "They're on the roof," he said, pointing to the left. "Just out of sight, but not aura sight."

"Well, congratulations Ash," Misty said, "That was quite a battle."

Ash nodded in agreement, "Lets go guys, I need to get Gabite and Wartortle to the Pokémon center."

* * *

**I'm really happy with how quickly I managed to write this chapter. Thank you all.**

**Thanks to "the dark is king" for the Squirtle/Wartortle typo.**

**Review, you know the drill.**

**Dragonwolf12**


	9. WARNING!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Hear ye! Hear ye!

I just received word that SOPA is back and they are trying to take our freedoms on the internet away.

That means if anything is posted that is even partially copyrighted, like a video of you and your buddies singing karaoke or a still-frame from a movie or an uploaded song or—horror of horrors—fanfiction, the person that posted it will be considered a felon, with jail time and everything.

Check these sights (Take the spaces out for the web addresses) or any other ones found on the internet to find out more.

www . huffingtonpost 2013/08/07/ unauthorized – streaming - felony_n_3720479 . html

www/washingtonpost blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/08/05/sopa-died-in-2012-b ut-obama –administration-wants-to-revive-part-of-it /

www. Youtube watch? v=1fTt4k4Cae4

Pass the word, WE CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN. TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND ANYONE YOU SPEAK TO ON THE INTERNET.

Post this as an update in your fanfiction stories or a status update on all your other favorite social networking sites. This won't just affect Americans, it will affect the entire world.

* * *

**This warning copied from Night of StarClan**


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